Dead Heart
by deathXbeforeXdisco
Summary: Ruby has been mostly on her own for nearly three months now, and prefers it that way. How will she handle it when she finds herself integrating in with our infamous Atlanta survivors? M rating for language, violent scenes and possible sex scenes. Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any characters associated.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome all to my newest story and first dabble into The Walking Dead universe! Now I am a newbie and only at the end of Season 2, but I couldn't help but from posting this! Ever since I started watching I had this idea floating around in my mind and I thought Season 2 would be a good place to start! We come in around Cherokee Rose.  
** **I hope you enjoy my O.C's and this story!**

* * *

"Mongrel fuckin' things, how in the hell did this even freaking happen?" Ruby growled as she dispatched yet another filthy walker.  
Loki huffed in answer beside her and she lightly pulled on Athena's reins.  
"Whuuu," she murmured reassuringly to the palomino mare.  
Athena snorted and shook her head as she obeyed her rider's commands.  
"God, who'dve thought the apocalypse would suck so hard. It's supposed to be devastatingly awesome. Dispatching assholes, guns everywhere, plus there's always a stupidly sexy man who is a total badass survivalist and rides in to save the day," she grumbled as she searched through the trees for the deer she'd been chasing.  
There was no sign of the deer anywhere and with a growl of frustration she looked down at her companion Loki. He was a three year old, pure black German Shepherd-wolf cross. He was now her best bet to find the deer.  
"Where d'you wanna go Loki? Where's the deer?" she asked.  
The big, black wolf cross looked up at her with glittering green eyes. He turned away and dropped his nose to the ground before letting out a light growl. Ruby grinned to herself, proud of Loki for picking the trail back up.  
"Hunt," she ordered him.  
He immediately set off at a steady lope, tracking the deer.  
"C'mon Athena!" she whooped and lightly kicked the horse's sides.

Athena immediately launched into a fast canter, easily keeping up with the wolf. Ruby laughed to herself as she felt the excitement of the chase tingle through her veins. Her heart thundered in her chest and she relished in the feel of the wind against her face. Athena's hooves were sturdy and sure footed beneath her, allowing Ruby to pull out her compound bow and nock an arrow. Athena's reins were resting on the horn of her saddle, out of the way, as Ruby drew back the bow. Loki let out a lower deeper growl ahead of her and stopped. Ruby sat deep in her saddle, like she had done a hundred times before, and Athena drew to a quick stop. Ruby sat up straight and looked down the length of the arrow. She could just barely see the little doe ahead of her and she took a deep breath. She willed her body to stay steady and studiously watched the doe amble forwards a few steps.

Now was the perfect moment.

Ruby let go of the arrow and smiled as it flew straight and true, the deer dropping immediately. Ruby grinned and jumped off Athena.  
"Looks like we're gonna eat well tonight, Loki!" she said jubilantly.  
She whistled for her animals to follow and grinned as she entered the clearing where the deer dropped. A deer was a good find nowadays, there was enough meat on a deer to feed her and Loki for nearly two weeks. Ruby exchanged her bow for her hunting knife so she could skin and butcher the deer when she heard Loki yelp in pain. Her heart dropped to her feet and Ruby whirled around to see an arrow embedded in the scruff of his neck.  
"Loki!" she cried in shock and horror, running to his side.  
The arrow had just managed to hit in the spot where he wasn't protected by his hunting armour. Thankfully, it wasn't a serious injury but for the life of her she couldn't understand where the arrow had come from. She didn't even have her bow in her hand.  
"It's okay, Loki, I'm here, you're okay," she tried to soothe as she poked around the wound a bit.  
He continued to whimper as she knelt beside him. Tears were falling down her cheeks and dripping onto her shirt. She absolutely could not lose Loki, he had been by her side since she rescued him nearly two years ago. He was what helped keep her sane during this apocalypse. He knew all of her secrets and kept her safe and in return she was meant to protect him; she couldn't fail now.

She wiped the tears from her face and inspected the wound carefully, trying to focus for him. The arrow wasn't in too deep, only half an inch. That meant the shooter had been shooting from basically the edge of his range. It had also missed the vital tendons and arteries, simply lodging in the muscle. If she didn't know any better it seemed to be more of a warning shot than a kill shot. To help Loki she needed to pull the arrow out and quickly close the wound. Ruby hastily wiped again at her cheeks, not caring about the blood she was smearing across her face. She dug into the pack strapped to Loki's side and pulled out a tube of surgical glue. She ripped her shirt off and looked at Loki hesitantly. She knew he would never do anything intentionally to hurt her, but she'd never had to yank an arrow out of him either. She had no idea what to expect and the last thing she needed was him reacting and biting her.

"Loki, I'm going to tie your mouth shut. It's just a precaution, and don't you dare bite me," she told him slowly but firmly.

She knew he had no idea what she was saying but it made her feel better as she tied her shirt around his snout. He looked at her and tried to shake the shirt off his nose but she growled at him and he stopped, trusting her. She took a deep breath and carefully positioned herself so that one knee was on the back of Loki's jaw, keeping him down. Loki growled slightly at being put in such a prone position and she growled back. Loki whined and settled down in response as she closed her fingers around the arrow.  
"I'm sorry," she whispered.

With one quick yank, she ripped the arrow out. She was lucky she had tied his mouth shut because Loki's head whipped around and she felt a slight grazing of teeth on her arm as he reacted to the pain.  
"I'm sorry, Loki," she apologised again, as if that made it all better.  
The blood started to flow faster and she quickly opened up the tube of surgical glue and applied it to the wound. She quickly clamped and held the wound shut and Loki growled again but Ruby paid him no heed.  
"You're all talk, mister. I'm doing this to help you, y'know," she told him haughtily.  
He huffed at her and she raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Well, excuu _uuu_ se me," she grumbled at him.  
She needed to keep the wound closed for at least two minutes to allow the glue to set.

As she was holding together the wound her eyes travelled to the arrow she pulled out of her dog. It was shorter than her arrows and had a differently shaped nock. She realised that what she was looking at was not actually an arrow, but a crossbow bolt. It was at that moment Loki stood up and his hackles rose. She could feel his growl rumble through his body and she quickly snatched her shirt off him, and grabbed her hunting knife.  
"What is it?" she whispered, her eyes scouring the area.  
Loki's growl developed into a snarl and Ruby couldn't help but feel glad she would never be on the receiving end of that snarl. She noticed Loki's lips begin to curl and saw Athena's ears flick over ahead of them, her head raising curiously. Whatever had decided to walk this way was coming head on. She quickly tugged her shirt back on, trying not to take her eyes off the trees and scrub before her. She dropped into a low crouch, ready to spring into action if needed as her eyes scoured the under brush ahead.

Ruby was coiled and ready to strike like a snake when a hand reached out and pushed back a branch, revealing a person. He had scruffy brown hair and was wearing a pair of worn and ragged jeans as well as a plaid shirt with the sleeves ripped off. _A redneck_ , she mentally scoffed, until her eyes honed in on the crossbow slung across his back. His eyes widened and met hers as he took in the scene before him and it took her all of two seconds to realise that this was the asshole who shot Loki.  
"Hey asshole! You shot my fuckin' dog!" she shouted, standing up and pointing her knife at him threateningly.  
"You shot my fuckin' deer!" he snapped back at her.  
Ruby saw red.  
"Don't see your bolt in it!" she sneered.  
He narrowed his eyes at her and she flinched as there was a muffled, meaty thump next to her.  
"Now there is."  
She scowled at him and he scowled back.  
"Fuck you, this is my kill. Now back off _redneck_ ," she threatened him.  
Loki growled again, and she saw the intruders eyes flicker uncertainly to the animal next to her.  
"Threaten me, I dare you," she said contemptuously.  
There was no way she was saying goodbye to this deer, she had no food left and she needed to feed Loki as well.  
"You're a fuckin' bitch, y'know that?"  
"Yeah, I'm the goddamn bitch queen, now fuck off and run along," she waved her hands at him.  
She could see his eyes linger on the deer hungrily and she narrowed her eyes at him. She could see a few squirrels tied around his belt so she knew he wasn't going to starve. That knowledge cleared her conscience. She raised her hand in the air and Loki poised to jump at him. She saw his eyes narrow at her and he spat at her.  
"Fuckin' _bitch_."  
His voice held an angered and sharp twang to it and she knew he was furious. Well, so was she. She glared at him and gave him the finger, before noticing something moving behind him. He clearly hadn't noticed it, being too busy arguing with her. She knew Loki had seen it too from the different growl he emitted. Without even thinking she dropped her hand, signalling Loki to attack. Loki immediately sprang into action; bounding to the redneck, who yelled out and raised his crossbow defensively.  
"No!" she screamed, terror filling her veins.  
His eyes met hers briefly but he still fired.

Loki leapt, and soared past the intruder and closed its jaws around the walker coming up behind him just as his crossbow bolt hit something with a wet smack behind her. She whirled around to see a walker drop to the ground behind her, but not before biting and contaminating her deer. Her rage rose up within her and drowned out all her other senses.  
"Fucking, filthy, disease baring, motherless, poxy _bastard!_ " she screamed, grabbing her knife and stabbing the walker repeatedly in frustration.  
Two weeks worth of meals, lost because of one single bite on _her fucking deer!  
_ Another walker dragged itself out from the trees and she practically jumped at the thing, slamming her knife through it's skull. She yanked it back out and raised it up behind her as she spun on the spot, letting it wedge hard into another walker's brain. She paused and could see another few walkers making their way towards her. She scowled, _let them come_ , she'd show them who was boss.  
"Fuckin' mongrels," she spat.  
She wanted to feel their skulls crumble beneath her hand, to just release some of the anger and frustration that was always pent up inside. Two walkers lumbered out, snapping and growling and she effortlessly put them down. Another one came out and she dispatched it with ease. She could hear Loki crashing about behind her and she knew he was attacking walkers as well.

An anxious whinny caught her ear and she looked over to see five walkers coming up behind Athena. She could see the tenseness in her muscles and by the way that Athena was twitching she knew she was seconds from running away. Ruby immediately ran over and kicked the closest walker hard in the chest, sending it sprawling back to the ground several feet away. Her knife punched through the next one's head, and she managed to get the third one but the one she kicked grabbed onto her ankle and tripped her. She glared at it and began savagely kicking it in the head.  
"Fuckin' disgusting, filthy, diseased pest!" she yelled as she crushed its' skull and its' blood splattered everywhere.  
Ruby quickly scrambled to her feet to protect Athena but she noticed the last two had been dispatched with crossbow bolts to the head. She scowled, knowing that now she owed this stupid redneck her life.

Thankfully there were no more walkers coming from this direction so she took a moment to pass her gaze over the clearing. To her dismay she saw too many walkers descending on the clearing. A sizeable portion had been dropped already with bolts to the head, but there were too many still walking. A few had been distracted by the fallen deer but not enough. Even she knew that at this point they were outnumbered. She grumbled in annoyance and quickly gathered up Athena's reins and vaulted up onto her back. She gave a piercing whistle and Loki slunk out from the underbrush his jaws slick with walker blood before he stood patiently by her side.

She looked over at the redneck and she could vaguely see that he was impressed, not that she cared. She nodded at him and he nodded back at her, his hooded eyes studying her. She turned away from him and looked further out over the bushes and saw a herd of walkers coming in closer. Time to get the hell out of dodge. She was about to kick Athena into motion when her conscience nagged at her to help the man that had helped her. She sighed heavily and trotted Athena over to the man and held her hand out grudgingly. He looked at it as if it were diseased and sneered at her.  
"The fuck is that for?" he spat.  
She rolled her eyes.  
"There's a herd of walkers on their way, get up," she grumbled.  
He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.  
"Fine, get eaten by walkers, see if I care," she hissed and made to take her hand away.  
His hand grabbing onto hers stopped her though and before she knew what had happened he was up and sitting behind her, with her swag over his legs.  
"Didn't actually think you'd agree," she muttered.  
"You're still a fuckin' bitch."  
She shrugged; couldn't argue with that.

She gave Athena a sharp kick and they started cantering off. She felt him practically fall forwards into her back and she growled as they smacked heads.  
"Not my fault," he muttered in a surly tone.  
"Just fuckin' do something about it!" she snapped as his head connected with hers again.  
"What am I supposed ta do?!" he yelled at her in frustration.  
"Hold on to something!" she growled, as she directed Athena away from a fallen tree.  
There was silence behind her and then she felt his arms snake unsteadily around her waist.

Her back tensed up and she forced herself not to punch him. His breath cascaded over the back of her neck and she hated the feeling of it. His breath felt warm and slightly damp and it was giving her goosebumps. His muscular arms felt like prison bars around her and she felt like she couldn't escape. She sincerely regretted her decision but there wasn't anything she could do about it now.

Ruby kept Athena at a canter until she felt they were a safe enough distance away, at which point she drew her back to a steady walk. His arms immediately pulled back from her and she couldn't stop the sigh of relief as she felt like she could breathe again. She saw Loki padding along easily next to them and she took a deep breath. She knew that while she had Loki with her no harm would come to her. Her hands relaxed on the reins and she gave Athena a light pat on the neck, which was more reassuring to her she thought. She ducked under a branch and smirked as she heard the man yell out in annoyance as he got a face full of leaves.

After they had ridden quietly for several minutes Ruby felt the need to strike up a conversation to get to know the man sitting half a foot behind her. At the very least she needed to know where she needed to drop him off.  
"Where are you headed?" she asked quietly.  
"East," he grunted.  
Ruby clicked to Athena and lightly turned her in the right direction. They had to go down a rather steep gully, and cross a river to get into the right direction. She leaned back and gave Athena her head so she could pick the safest path down. She felt the redneck's chest against her back and her heart began palpitating in nervousness. She gripped tightly onto her saddle's horn to hide her trembles and tried not to focus on the fact that he was putting her in a very prone position.

Athena's footing slipped on some leaves on the way down and she felt the man's hands grip tightly onto her hips. Reflexively, she whirled around in the saddle and had her knife pressed to his throat. Athena had since righted her footing and had stopped but Ruby couldn't pull her knife away. Her eyes were staring deep into his, seeing cruel grey ones instead of his blue ones. His eyes flicked down to the hunting blade and back to hers and rose an eyebrow at her.  
"Ya wanna move that blade before I take it?" he said threateningly.  
His sharp Southern twang broke her out of her reverie and she was momentarily surprised to see startling blue eyes instead of grey ones. She could feel embarrassment rise up as she realised she reacted without thinking and it morphed into anger. She held her knife harder against him and his hands rose in the air.  
"Shut up," she spat, being unable to even think properly.  
He gave her a look that would make even a walker crumble but she just shrugged it off, pulling her knife away. She turned back in the saddle and encouraged Athena forwards again.

"Why ya helpin' me?" he asked gruffly, as if he didn't want to ask.  
His voice broke through the silence and Ruby flinched, almost forgetting he had been behind her.  
"'Cause," she grunted back in response.  
She could practically _feel_ his look on the back of her head. She knew her answer wasn't much of one but she couldn't help herself. She didn't like owing people, and hated it if they knew. She remained silent for another few minutes but she could feel the pressure he was generating to answer and she huffed in annoyance.  
"'Cause you helped me. Felt like I owed ya," she grumbled.  
She couldn't see him so she just assumed he had heard her.  
"You didn't have to y'know?" he grumbled.  
"I pay my debts," she said quietly.  
For once her voice held no anger or frustration, just a quiet finality. He scoffed quietly behind her and she fought the urge to jab her elbow back in retaliation.  
"What the hell is a girl like you even doing out here?" he grumbled.  
She rolled her eyes and stopped Athena, turning back around in her saddle to face him.  
"Just because you saved my life, and I saved yours doesn't mean we have to talk. I'm just going to drop you off to where you are and then be on my merry way. I am not interested in making friends and becoming buddies or whatever. I have to go and hunt down something else to eat and find safe shelter before darkness falls. So please, just, ugh," she snapped.

His eyes studied her face not betraying a single thought or emotion, but she thought she could almost see a grudging respect which she mentally scoffed at.  
"You got no food?" he asked.  
She rolled her eyes and thrust her hand behind them emphatically.  
"No, I don't. Hence why I wanted that fucking deer," she said in a condescending tone of voice.  
His eyes studied her again, and she rolled hers. She was done with this conversation and this redneck. She clicked Athena forwards again pushing her into a trot. She sat easy to Athena's smooth trot but couldn't help the smirk as she heard him cursing from behind her.  
"Slow it down!" he yelled.  
"Problem, redneck?" she called back, unable to keep the amusement from her voice.  
"If this keeps up I ain't gonna be able to piss straight for a week," he growled.  
"Sounds like a you problem," she laughed.  
"Fuckin' bitch," he spat.  
She just shrugged again. This was true and established a long time ago. Hopefully he would get the hint and leave her alone. She drew the reins and they dropped back to a walk. She heard him breathe a sigh of relief and a part of her almost felt bad.

"How much further?" she asked him.  
He pointed to the left a bit and Ruby guided Athena in that direction. She could faintly see a field beyond the trees and she was relieved to know this ordeal would be over shortly. They made good time and before she knew it they were on the edge of the woods. Ruby rose an eyebrow as an idyllic piece of farmland, complete with a farmhouse, barn and shed came into view.  
"You live here?" she asked incredulously.  
He just grunted in response and she gave a low whistle. She could almost believe that the apocalypse had never happened.  
"White picket fence and all, good score," she commented.  
He grunted again and she gave a half laugh. Seems like he _had_ learned his lesson.  
"Ya might wanna leave ya mutt here. The others might not like a wolf running at them," he grumbled instead.  
She frowned at the thought of someone else shooting Loki and she scowled at him.  
"I am never gonna forgive you for that," she scowled.  
He shrugged and she wanted to smack him. Instead she whistled to Loki who fell in beside her. She halted Athena and looked firmly down at Loki.  
"Stay," she ordered.  
He tilted his head to the side and she repeated herself. He whined lowly and she raised an eyebrow at him.  
"We're not discussing this. _Stay."  
_ He huffed and lay down on the ground, his head on his paws. She knew he would stay until she called for him and her eyes softened.  
"I won't be long. I promise," she called softly.  
The man behind her scoffed lightly and she scowled in response. It was time to drop this arrogant prick off.  
"Hold on, redneck," she called back.  
His hands settled carefully on her waist and when she was certain he had a good grip she kicked Athena into a fast canter, wanting to get this ordeal over and done with.

The mare's lengthy strides and speedy heritage ate up the ground and in no time at all they were cantering up to a small camp site in front of the big white farmhouse. The man's hands tightened on her waist as she pulled Athena to a sharp stop and his head collided hard with hers. Again.  
"Would you fucking watch out?!" she yelled at him, rubbing the good sized egg at the back of her head.  
"Your fault for stopping so suddenly!" he spat.  
"I told you to hold on, you stupid fuckin' redneck! That means _hold on_! Or do I need to spell it out for you?" she seethed at him.  
"I know how to hold on, what I don't need is some stupid bitch tryna trip me up!" he growled back.  
He shoved her swag off his legs, knocking it hard into her back. She yelled a protest as she was thrown forwards but he was already sliding off Athena and storming off.  
"You're fuckin' welcome!" she shouted at the infuriating redneck.  
It was at this point she realised she wasn't alone and there was a group of people circling around her. She hadn't expected so many people, the redneck didn't exactly seem like the type to play well with others. She tightened her grip on Athena's reins as she looked distrustfully over the crowd.  
"Just returning your redneck," she said by way of explanation.

A man stepped out from the crowd. He had short, dark brown hair and a kind but wary expression on his face. She studied him with a hint of nervousness and noted the police uniform he had on. No matter how kind he looked, no good could come from someone who had stolen a police officer's outfit.  
"Thanks for returning Daryl. I'm Rick," he thanked her.  
She studied him and narrowed her eyes warily at him.  
"No problem. Might wanna keep a leash on him though, bit of a loose cannon," she said, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice.  
To her surprise Rick gave a small laugh.  
"He was out looking for one of our own," he told her.  
At the sound of that news she felt a bit bad for how she had treated him, but then she remembered how he had treated her and her guilt vanished.  
"Well, I hope y'all find them," she replied stiffly.

"Have you seen her?"  
Ruby turned to the woman who had spoken. A skinny, older woman with desperate blue eyes. Her hair was cut short, almost a buzz cut, and full of grime and she looked like she had lived too long.  
"Seen who?" she asked quietly.  
"A little girl, twelve years old. Blonde hair and a blue top," the lady described.  
Ruby thought back for a moment and realised she had seen someone fitting that description a day or so ago.  
"I… I have actually. She was running on a ridge, I shot the walker following her but by the time I got up there she was gone."  
She didn't know why but at the end she felt a bit of guilt. It only got worse as the lady, clearly the little girl's mother, collapsed into tears and began crying and screaming out. A younger brunette put her arms around the crying woman and the rest of the group tittered amongst themselves.  
"Well, I'd be mighty grateful if you could show us where," Rick said to her.  
Ruby shifted on Athena and the mare shuffled on the spot. She looked up at the sky and saw the sun sinking, it would take at least an hour and a half of riding, longer if she had to double. At which point they would have to turn back anyway to get back safely.  
"I—I want to but, I need to get going. There's simply no time, by the time I took you back there we'd have to turn back anyway. It's a fair distance from here…"  
"Could you show us on a map?" Rick asked.  
She could hear a hint of desperation in his voice and as she looked over at the crying woman she knew she couldn't say no, not about a little girl. Ruby nodded slowly and Rick gave a grateful breath.  
"Maggie, could you get the map, please?" Rick asked the brunette.  
'Maggie' left the older woman and ran off into the farmhouse.

"So, you know my name, what's yours?" Rick asked her kindly.  
She eyed him off suspiciously and shifted in her saddle.  
"Ruby," she answered shortly.  
Rick gave her a kind smile. She almost wanted to believe it, but the last time she trusted a smile it didn't end well for her.  
"So, if you don't mind me asking, are you alone?" he asked.  
Ruby tensed up and eyed him and the crowd. There were several men in amongst this crowd and she felt her heart rate increase and she forced herself to stay calm.  
"I do mind," she snapped.  
Rick held his hands up peacefully.  
"It's okay, I just… I've got a lot of people to take care of, and I need to be sure you're not going to be a threat. I'm sure you understand," he said quietly and calmly.  
She narrowed her eyes at him.  
"I understand, but please forgive me if I don't trust a cop killer," she snarled.  
Rick's eyebrows rose and he looked shocked.  
"I'm a what?" he asked.  
She gestured to his uniform.  
"Where else would you get a uniform like that these days?" she asked pointedly.  
Rick looked down and gave a good natured chuckle.  
"That's because before all this shit went down I _was_ a cop," he explained.  
She looked at him in unease, not knowing if he was pulling her leg or not.  
"Here, I'll even show you my badge," he laughed and pulled a leather pouch out of his pants.  
He threw it up to her and she caught it, while dropping her reins. She opened it to see a dirty but visible identification card. It showed Rick's picture as well as his name and officer number. She felt her unease let up slightly and she laughed lightly, throwing the pouch back at him.  
"Never really had much to do with the cops, you gonna arrest me if I play up?" she asked, trying to make a lame joke.  
Rick humoured her with a small laugh.  
"Not likely."

She gave him a small smile and finally swung her leg off Athena. She landed with a light thump and couldn't resist a groan as she stretched out her weary muscles.  
"God, that feels good," she hummed.  
"Been up for long?" Rick asked her.  
"Awhile," she answered evasively.  
Despite him being a cop she still didn't trust these people. She idly reached for her hunting knife and ensured its sheath was around her hip. An action that didn't go unnoticed by Rick.  
"We are unarmed…" He told her quietly.  
She looked up at him and noticed he was about half a head taller than her, enough to easily overpower her. She swallowed hard and carefully left her hand on the handle of her knife.  
"Can't be too careful," she said quietly.  
Rick evaluated her, his eyes searching her but strangely it didn't feel like he was sizing her up. It felt more like he was concerned and worried.  
"Here, Rick," the young brunette commented, handing him a large map.  
Ruby grabbed Athena's reins and walked with Rick to the hood of a silver car.  
"Can you get Daryl, Maggie? He should see this too," Rick asked the same brunette.  
She nodded and took off towards a tent.

Rick spread out the map on the hood and pointed to a dot on the map.  
"That's where we are. This is the highway we lost Sophia on," he explained, pointing to another spot on the map.  
Ruby studied the map carefully, trying to remember her map reading skills. She looked at the scale and began measuring it up from her last known point.  
"I… I think around here is where I saw her. I was in this gully and she was on this ridge. It has a rather steep cliff to it so I had to go upstream a bit to loop back around. There should be two trees up there that kind of fall into each other like a spiderweb. It sounds strange, but you'll know when you see it. Just beyond that, there'll be a rock that looks kinda like a piano. I saw a little bit of blood there but… I didn't see anything else after that. But I'm also not exactly a master tracker," she admitted.  
She looked up at Rick and he gave her a desperate and relieved smile.  
"This is good, it's better than searching randomly," Rick said comfortingly.  
She shrugged.  
"I guess," she said non-committally.  
"There's a pretty big herd around here though," she said, pointing to the spot on the map she thought she'd shot the deer.  
"They're distracted by my deer, but that won't last long, so… be careful," she said, feeling uncomfortable by the odd sentiment.  
Rick smiled at her.  
"Thanks, Daryl's our best tracker and hunter, he'll be fine," Rick assured her.  
She frowned.  
"The redneck?" she asked.  
She saw Rick's eyes tighten slightly and she realised it may not be the best thing to insult someone in their group.

"That's me," a familiar voice grunted.  
She heaved a sigh and narrowed her eyes at the redneck.  
"Right," she grumbled, displeased with his presence.  
"So where am I headed?" he asked shortly.  
She eyed him and then pointed on the map giving him the same markers and instructions she gave Rick. He nodded thoughtfully and eyed her.  
"So why didn't _you_ follow her?" he asked suspiciously.  
"I'm not a tracker, I lost the trail," she shot back, frustrated.  
She couldn't explain it but it wasn't sitting right with her that she hadn't found the little girl. She hadn't much thought about it at the time but upon meeting these people and seeing how much the girl clearly meant to these people she felt… guilty. She should have followed her, should have climbed up the hill or something. Tried harder for the girl. She growled lowly under her breath and turned abruptly away from the men, throwing Athena's reins back over her head.  
"Well, that's the extent of my knowledge, I've gotta get moving," she told them shortly.  
She saw Rick's face flicker with confusion but Daryl just leaned back against the car.

"Where ya gonna stay?" he asked.  
"By the river probably," she answered without thinking too much about it.  
"You don't have a camp?" Rick asked.  
"Not smart," Daryl commented.  
She glared at him, ignoring Rick.  
"And why not?" she demanded.  
"Animals go to drink. Walkers follow animals, they catch ya sleepin' ya dead," he said in a condescending tone.  
"Well fine, I'll sleep on a ridge. I've got Loki," she said coldly.  
"Wait—" Rick tried but got cut off.  
"What about food?" Daryl pressed.  
She rounded on him, fury burning through her veins.  
"I woulda had food if you hadn't shot my fuckin' dog and distracted me from my kill!" she shouted, shoving him.  
Daryl's expression darkened and he pushed off the car, stepping over to her and loomed over her. She couldn't help the shiver of fear that trembled down her spine. He stood half a head over her easily and she had the feeling that he could snap her like a twig if he wanted.  
" _My_ fuckin' deer! I was tracking that damn thing for hours!" he shouted.  
He took another step closer to her and instinctively she had her knife out and back at his throat.  
" _My_ shot killed it," she argued.

"Whoa, hold it there, please," Rick cut in, standing inbetween the pair.  
He carefully put his hand on her blade and pushed it away from his friend's throat. She eyed him off suspiciously.  
"Look, why don't you stay here for the night? We'll set you up with some food and water, then you could take Daryl out in the morning, we'd be mighty grateful…" Rick pleaded.  
She narrowed her eyes at him, seemed like a rather flimsy deal for food and water. Food and water was worth killing over and they were willing to just hand it over? Unease settled in her stomach and she stepped closer to Athena.  
"I… I'm okay, thanks…" she hoped they couldn't detect the slight tremble of fear in her voice.  
"Hey, I promise. We really, want to find Sophia, she means a lot to all of us. Please. You can sleep on your own, I promise."  
Rick looked on the verge of begging and it broke her.  
"Okay, but I stay with my horse. Away from everyone. Any _part_ of any _one_ that crosses into my personal space gets cut off," she threatened.  
Rick held his hands up and nodded in acquiesce.  
"Deal. However… The man that owns this land requires all guns to be surrendered, and we ask that any newcomers relinquish their weapons. The vast majority of us are unarmed anyway," he said steadily, as if trying to comfort her.  
"You don't need weapons to be a threat, Sheriff," she said quietly.  
Rick gave her that same curious, concerned look.  
"I promise, we are not a threat to you," he tried to assure her.  
She looked at him uneasily.  
"I'll have to call my dog in, I left him at the edge of the woods," she finally agreed.  
Rick smiled as Daryl scoffed.  
"I think everyone'd love to see a dog around," he encouraged her.  
"He's not exactly friendly… He won't bite, unless you try to hurt me _but_ I wouldn't advise treating him the same as your average little yap-yap," she explained, and then levelled her glare on Daryl. "And if you shoot him again, I will _kill_ you."  
Rick gave Daryl a confused look.  
"You'll understand," he grunted in response to Rick.

Rick looked at her uncertainly and Ruby stuck her two pinkies in her mouth and gave one short, sharp whistle. She heard someone yelling as Loki came racing out of the woods. She smiled in relief as she saw him bounding towards her and she walked towards him.  
"Loki," she called out, knowing he could hear her.  
"Damn, that's a big dog," she heard someone comment from behind her.  
"You have no idea," she laughed lightly.  
She walked out further and knelt down, slapping her thighs encouragingly. It took all of a minute for Loki to reach her and leap up into her arms. Ruby laughed in delight as she tried to hold onto all 120 pounds of him, while he was trying to lick her face.  
"Loki, Loki, down… down," she laughed.  
He dropped down onto all fours and she took the time to scratch his favourite spot behind his ears.  
"Hey buddy, you were such a good boy waiting for me," she crooned.  
He whined and licked at her face again. His eyes glittered and he looked to be smiling up at her.  
"C'mon Loki, meet the people we're going to be staying with tonight," she said to him and clicked at him.  
He immediately kept at her heel and together they walked back to the group.

"This is Loki. Loki, this is the group," she introduced.  
"That is a wolf..." a man about the same age as Rick with a shaved head said bluntly.  
She eyed him off carefully, ready to defend Loki without a second thought.  
"He's a wolf _cross_. And highly trained. He is _no_ threat to you, but _I_ will be if you dare hurt him," she threatened the man.  
A few people looked at her warily and a few others began to started to step forwards. She saw Loki's hackles rise and his natural distrust started to emerge.  
"Loki, it's okay," she soothed him.  
"Just one at a time, please," Ruby pleaded.  
The people stopped walking and she looked up to see the little girl's mother amongst them. She gave her an encouraging smile.

"Hey," she said softly.  
The lady gave her a timid look but Ruby kept encouraging her. She stepped forwards and stood next to Ruby.  
"Hi, I'm Ruby and this is Loki," she introduced.  
"I'm Carol," the woman replied quietly.  
"Loki, this is Carol," Ruby said gently.  
She took Carol's hand in hers and carefully held it out for Loki to smell. She could feel the slight tremor in Carol's hand and gave her an encouraging smile.  
"It's okay, Loki won't hurt you. I promise."  
Carol swallowed hard and unclenched her fist. Ruby watched Loki carefully as he reached out to smell her hand. He nudged it a few times and then gave her a lick. Ruby smiled at Carol.  
"He likes you," she said quietly.  
Carol gave her a small smile and hesitantly reached further to run her hand over his head.  
"He likes it behind the ears," Ruby told her.  
Carol nodded and began to rub behind his ears. Loki leaned into the woman's touch, clearly enjoying it.  
"He's beautiful," she whispered.  
"He's saved my life several times, even before the apocalypse," Ruby admitted.  
Carol looked at her curiously but Ruby refused to meet her eyes, choosing to run her fingers through Loki's fur.


	2. Chapter 2

**I just want to express my eternal gratitude to all who read, favourited, followed and reviewed! Thank you all so much!**

* * *

Ruby was offered a stall in the stables for Athena, and she gratefully took it. That meant they would all be safe and that was more than she could even think to ask for. After everyone who wanted to had met Loki, Ruby made her way with her animals to the barn.  
"Ruby! Wait, I'm really sorry, but we do need your weapons," Rick called, jogging after her.  
She sighed, hoping he had forgotten but nodded acceptingly. She would relinquish her weapons now she had Loki by her side. He would protect her almost better than she could protect herself.  
"Sure thing, Sheriff," she commented easily.  
She grabbed her bow and her arrows and handed them to him next came her hunting knife which was strapped around her waist. She handed over her machete which was attached to Athena's saddle and finally a small handgun. He raised his eyes at her and she shrugged.  
"Can't be too careful, right?"  
He nodded his head and she smiled and walked off with Athena.

Ruby walked into the stable, surprised but pleased, to see two other horses in the barn. There was a bay gelding in the stall at the front and a chestnut mare next to him. She led her into the final remaining stall and immediately uncinched the saddle, pulling it off Athena's back. She draped the saddle on the stall door and Athena gave a big body shake. It had been a couple of days since the saddle had been off and not just loosened. In the feed bin there was a flake of hay waiting for her and Athena began to munch on it.  
"Nothing ever stops your appetite does it?" she laughed to Athena.  
She pulled Athena's bridle off her and draped it over the seat of her saddle before unstrapping the protective leather boots from her legs. She dug into one of the saddlebags and pulled out one of the two brushes in there. She slid it onto her hand and began to vigorously brush her down. Weeks of dust, dirt and mud from riding across the country side started falling off to reveal Athena's true golden colour.  
"Been too long since I could give you the treatment you deserve, hey girl? Isn't the apocalypse such a downer?"  
Loki lay in the corner peacefully, allowing himself to rest, and she smiled at the sight of him sleeping soundly.  
"Been awhile since we've been able to get a good sleep hmm?"  
Ruby continued to chatter and comment on things idly to Athena while she brushed her until her arms ached and her coat gleamed. She even got her hair brush out and brushed the tangles and twigs out of her mane and tail.

"Ruby?"  
Ruby poked her head out over the stall door to see Maggie. She had learned that Maggie was one of Hershel's two daughters, Hershel being the man who owned the farm.  
"Hey," she called out conversationally.  
"Just wanted to let you know dinner's going to be ready soon," Maggie called out warily.  
Despite most of the group meeting her and having no weapons she knew the group was rather intimidated by her. Excluding Daryl, but she doubted he was scared of anything. Even walkers were treated with more contempt than fear by him.  
"Thanks, Maggie. I'll see you out there," she answered.  
"Okay. I'll… I'll see you," Maggie replied.  
Ruby nodded and packed away her brush, she wiped off her hands on her jeans and stepped out of the stall. She called to Loki and he was up and by her side in an instant. She gave him a look over and decided he could go without his pack and his protective breastplate. She quickly pulled off both and gave his body a good rub where the gear had been laying.  
"C'mon, time for some dinner," she encouraged him.

Together they walked over to the group of people circled around the fire. She took a seat out of the way and slightly back from the fire. Loki lay on her feet, keeping them warm. She could see Carol handing out plates with food on them and her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten in a day and the smell of food was making her hungrier than she thought she was. Despite how hungry she was though she didn't feel right about going up and taking a plate, it felt… rude, almost.  
Thankfully she didn't have to dwell on it as a plate of food was shoved in her lap and a body threw itself down on the ground next to her. Ruby looked over to see Shane sitting next to her. He was the man who had commented on Loki being a wolf. He had been Rick's partner on the force before the apocalypse and for some reason thought this made him someone she wanted to talk to. Loki looked up at his arrival and growled lowly in his throat as a warning.  
"So, wolf huh?" Shane commented, eyeing Loki warily.  
"Yeah. He's my muscle," Ruby said uneasily.  
She shifted slightly closer to Loki and Loki's growl rumbled louder.  
"You gonna call him off?" Shane asked her bluntly.  
She narrowed her eyes at him.  
"He won't attack, he's just warning you," she said quietly. "Thanks for the food."  
Shane eyed her just as suspiciously as she had him and shrugged.  
"Looks like you need it."  
She couldn't deny that. Since the apocalypse had started her once curvaceous body had trimmed down to nearly half the size she had been. Her own clothes had long since stopped fitting her and everything she now wore had been stolen. She finally had that skinny look society had pushed for and she hated it. Ruby looked down at her plate of stew, away from Shane, and picked out a piece of meat offering it to Loki who eagerly snapped it down.  
"Don't think we really got enough meat for that," Shane said a hint of coldness colouring his tone.  
She narrowed her eyes at him and while staring at Shane gave Loki another piece of her meat. Her expression simply said to try stop her. No matter how hungry she was Loki always got some of her food.  
"Don't ya get your panties in a twist Shane. Got plentya meat," Daryl grunted from behind them.  
Ruby turned behind her and then saw Daryl throw down some squirrel carcasses in front of Loki's nose. The wolf eagerly snapped them up and crunched loudly on the bones. Ruby looked up at Daryl in surprise and gratitude. Anyone that fed her dog was in her good books.  
"Thank you," she said quietly, giving him her first smile.  
Daryl shrugged, not meeting her eyes.  
"Eat ya food," he grunted and walked off to take a seat on the other side of the fire, away from the people.  
Ruby looked at him in confusion before turning back to her food and finally popping a piece in her mouth. She couldn't keep back the moan as the flavour hit her tongue.  
"Who cooked this?" she asked Shane.  
Shane scowled.  
"Carol," he muttered.  
"She's really good," Ruby commented.  
"Yeah," Shane said shortly.  
Ruby shrugged and kept eating, if he wanted to have a rod up his ass he could have one.

"How long you been out on your own?" Shane asked, finally breaking the silence.  
"Since just before the apocalypse," Ruby answered.  
"What were you doing before the apocalypse?" he asked her.  
"I had a holiday and I was trying out some survivalist skills. Guess the world took it just a bit too seriously," Ruby joked lamely.  
Shane raised an eyebrow at her.  
"Guess that was lucky," he commented.  
Ruby shrugged. She didn't really call it lucky, it meant that when she got back everyone was gone. She never got to say goodbye to her family or her friends. In fact she had no idea what had happened to them. She got back home after spending three weeks on her own, to find the farm deserted. All the animals had been released, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, dogs—all gone. Her parents were nowhere to be seen and their truck was gone.  
"So, how did you guys get to here?" Ruby asked, trying to take the attention off her.  
Shane proceeded to explain how he had been in Atlanta, Rick in a coma and how he, Lori and Carl, Rick's wife and son, all met up with Carol, her husband and daughter, before settling near a quarry. He told her about the other survivors and about meeting Daryl and his brother Merle. He explained about how they were going to go to the CDC and about how they nearly got blown up. He told her all about their journey to the farm, Carl getting shot and about his trip to the FEMA trailer where Otis, a farm hand, had saved his life.

As they chatted Ruby felt her guard come down slightly. Sure, Shane had been rude about her giving Loki some meat but she supposed it was that they were used to rationing for themselves. Not everyone understood the bond between her and Loki. That said, she was still slightly off put by Loki's growl at Shane, but he had finished his squirrels and wasn't making a peep so she wondered if maybe he was just grumpy from hunger.  
Carol came by not long after and collected her plate from her.  
"Here, I'll help wash up," Ruby began to offer.  
"Nonsense. Sit, sit. Relax. I feel like you haven't done much of that," she said kindly.  
Ruby gave her a rueful smile.  
"Not really. It's been pretty non-stop," she admitted.  
Carol gave her a knowing smile and reached down to give Loki a pat. He snuffed lightly and gave her a slight lick on the hand, making the two women smile.  
"He does like you, and I have to say, that stew was the best thing I've eaten all year!" Ruby complimented.  
Carol smiled brightly and looked down at Loki.  
"Thank you. It's mostly thanks to Daryl, he provides all the meat and he found a jar of herbs and spices a week or so back," Carol said deprecatingly.  
"Be that as it may, I could not make something as delicious as that. My squirrel would be as tough as rubber and I would probably give someone oregano poisoning," Ruby laughed, slightly over exaggerating.  
Carol didn't seem to mind as her smile grew. She took Shane's plate wordlessly and gave Loki another pat before collecting up the rest of the plates.

"So where are you camping for the night?" Shane asked her.  
"I'm gonna stay in the barn with Athena and Loki. I'll feel too exposed and uncomfortable to sleep if I don't," Ruby answered easily.  
"Shame, I was gonna ask if you wanted to camp next to me," Shane commented.  
Ruby's smile fell from her face and her discomfort returned. It crawled up her spine making every muscle constrict and her shoulders tense.  
"Sorry, I just figure there's no point considering I'm leaving tomorrow, best to just be on my own," she mumbled an excuse, hoping it would pacify the larger man.  
His dark brown eyes looked into hers and he nodded.  
"I get it. But if you get lonely, that tent is mine," he smirked at her, pointing to his tent.  
She nodded awkwardly and dropped a hand into Loki's fur, trying to calm herself down. She turned her gaze back out into the fire and as she did so she noticed Daryl's eyes flicking indeterminately between herself and Shane. She quirked an eyebrow at him and he glared at her before storming off into the night like a petulant child.  
"Jeez, what's eating him?" she asked Shane.  
He just shrugged.  
"No one knows with him. He's got issues," Shane snorted derisively.  
She snorted unflatteringly.  
"It's the damn _apocalypse_ , who doesn't?"

After another half hour of sitting by the fire and chatting to Shane, Ruby had well decided that it was time for her to go to bed.  
"I'm gonna go hit the hay," she said tiredly to Shane after stifling yet another yawn.  
He laughed at her choice of words considering where she was staying.  
"If you need anything, you know where I'll be," he reminded her.  
She nodded awkwardly and stood up.  
"Thanks for talking, it's nice to chat with someone that talks back," she said with a laugh.  
"My pleasure," Shane smirked at her.  
She gave him a small but awkward smile and walked off to the barn, Loki trotting along beside her. She opened the stall door and was pleased to see that Athena was sleeping. She unclipped her swag from the back of the saddle and unrolled it in the furtherest corner of the stall. After a moments deliberation, she took her boots off and neatly left them by her feet before wriggling into her bed. Loki crawled up on his belly next to her and she smiled drowsily as an odd sense of safety encased her. She hadn't felt any form of safe in months and now she was. It was nice.

She wished she could say she woke up late and enjoyed a long, luxurious sleep in in a safe area, but she couldn't. She tossed and turned all night and every couple of hours she would wake up with a cold sweat from her nightmares. Finally, at around five in the morning, Ruby had decided she'd had enough trying to sleep and just decided to cut her losses and get up. As she moved around in the swag she nudged Loki, waking him up. Loki yawned next to her his hot, smelly breath waking her instantly.  
"Good morning," she grumbled.  
She stretched out her arms and back and cracked her joints.  
"God, does that feel good," she murmured.  
She began to idly pat Loki and sighed deeply. She climbed out of her swag and pulled on her boots. It had been a long time since she had been able to sleep without boots on. Out in the woods she never knew when she had to make a quick exit so she just decided to save herself the inconvenience and left them on. She didn't even want to think about the state or smell of her socks. She reached into her pack which she had dropped by the stall door the day before and pulled out a light jacket. The early morning was quite chilly and was giving her goosebumps. She knew it was going to be far too early for all of the other people to be awake and it would be hours before she had to lead them on the trail of Sophia. She looked down at Loki and realised she could do a little bit of hunting, to help the group that helped her. She may not have her weapons but she had Loki and that was more than enough. She smiled to herself and picked up Loki's protective collar and breastplate. He stood patiently as she did it up on him and she quietly let herself out of the stall, leaving Athena behind. They would be better on foot.

She jogged out of the barn with Loki hot on her heels. Once outside, she had to stop to admire the view in the early morning the property just looked unreal; like something from a fairy tale. The sky was in that odd blue-grey transition shade and the morning birds were just beginning to sing. In an odd twist Ruby almost felt at peace and half-wished she could stay to wake up to this sight every morning. She shook her head, dispelling the thought and began to jog off towards the woods again, berating herself mentally. There was no way she could stay in this group, they had their own set up and she would just be in the way. She was far too volatile to be in a close knit community.

She and Loki made good time to the woods and once under the cover of the trees she turned to him.  
"Hunt," she instructed.  
He immediately began to trot off ahead of her, his head swaying this way and that, trying to catch a scent. She silently followed after him, choosing each step carefully to make as little noise as possible. All at once Loki disappeared ahead of her and she crouched low, so she wouldn't disturb his hunt. She could lightly hear him running ahead after an animal and after a moment he stopped. His footsteps were light back and he dropped a rabbit by her feet.  
"Good boy," she praised, lavishing him with pats and soft crooning noises.  
He grinned up at her and she sent him on his way again.

They returned to the camp an hour later with six rabbits.  
"Where the hell've ya been?" Daryl's voice came, pissed off, from by the RV.  
She gave him a sickly sweet smile and held the six rabbits up.  
"Hunting," she answered.  
He frowned as he took a rabbit from her. There were no marks, no blood, nothing tainting the meat.  
"How'd you manage that?" he asked, his curiosity seemingly outweighing his annoyance.  
Ruby smiled proudly down at Loki.  
"This little champion right here. I taught him to snap their necks as opposed to tearing them apart. He's better than any arrow and he very rarely misses," she bragged proudly.  
Daryl looked down at Loki but gave nothing away on his face.  
"Good boy," he said finally.  
Ruby was surprised when Loki's tail gave the slightest of wags. Loki very rarely responded to anyone that wasn't her. She watched Daryl as he inspected the rabbit's neck. Loki had an excellent sense of character, much better than her own, and he clearly thought this redneck was someone worth knowing.  
"Not bad for a mutt," he mumbled, bringing her out of her reverie.  
Ruby watched as his hand came down on Loki's head. She half expected him to bite Daryl but to her astonishment Loki leaned into his hand, taking the affection.  
"Lucky. Most people are just tolerated," she commented idly.  
Daryl looked up at her and shrugged.  
"He knows I fed him last night, that's all," he grumbled.  
Now that made sense. Loki was very food orientated, and intelligent. Daryl was probably right; Loki associated Daryl with food.

Daryl's eyes scanned her contemplatively.  
"Y'know how to skin and gut right?" he asked.  
She rolled her eyes, who did he take her for? Some pansy ass city slicker?  
"Of course," she replied.  
"C'mon," he grunted.  
She paused before following him to a spot a little ways away from the camp. There was a small tarp on the ground and a set of small knives by it. Ruby settled herself next to Daryl, sitting crosslegged with an intrigued expression.  
"How d'ya skin them?" he asked her.  
Ruby grabbed a rabbit and held out her hand for a knife. He reluctantly gave her one and quickly she demonstrated how she skinned a rabbit.  
"Not bad. This is the easiest way though," he said and showed her his way of doing it.  
She was impressed with how quickly and efficiently he'd done it. He was clearly more experienced at it than she was. She let him do the rest watching carefully and taking note of each incision, pull and twist. Daryl quickly gutted one too and asked to see her technique. She showed him and he gave her a few pointers which would really come in handy.  
"Thanks for showing me a few tricks," she said quietly.  
He avoided looking at her and shrugged.  
"You need to know if you're gonna live alone," he muttered.  
She shrugged.  
"Still, you didn't have to," she mumbled.  
He just grunted and began slicing into the meat. She watched him curiously, before understanding swept through her. She smiled widely as he pulled out all the bones from the meat and gave them to Loki, along with the insides of the rabbit. A wave of gratitude coursed through her and she couldn't stop herself. She leaned over and gave him a light, one armed hug. She felt his whole body tense up and she quickly pulled away knowing she was making him uncomfortable.  
"What was that for?" he asked her tensely.  
His blue eyes stared into hers searching for any sign of malice, a trick or mockery.  
"Thanks for taking care of my dog," she answered.  
He looked away from her and shrugged.  
"He may as well eat what we can't."  
She opened her mouth to say something when Shane came walking over.

"Ruby, can I talk to you?" he asked.  
She looked up as Loki growled lightly. She turned back down to Loki frowning in confusion. She was surprised that Loki would react so negatively to Shane after just having eaten. She wondered if maybe Loki knew something she didn't about the man, and that troubled her slightly.  
"I… sure. Just give me a minute, okay?" she replied.  
Shane nodded and waited patiently.  
"You okay to do the rest of these?" she asked Daryl.  
He just grunted and gave her a venomous look. She was shocked and instantly pissed off with his mood change. She had done nothing to warrant such a hateful look.  
"What the fuck ever. Don't know why I even bothered," she spat back at him.  
He scowled and began pulling harshly at the rabbit's insides, clearly telling her that he was ignoring her.  
"Don't take it personally. He's kinda just like that," Shane assured her, leading her back to the camp.  
"I don't care, I just don't want to deal with it," she grumbled.  
Loki came up from behind her and pushed his way between the two of them, making Shane frown and Ruby laugh.  
"Are you jealous?" she crooned to Loki.  
He huffed lightly and Ruby laughed again. Shane looked at her oddly.  
"He's not used to sharing me, in three years he's never had to fight for my attention. I wouldn't be surprised if he was jealous," she explained lightly.  
He nodded but eyed Loki warily. She couldn't say she blamed him, Loki had many features of his wolf father. The long, gangly legs, thick barrel body and powerful jaws. His size didn't help either, he nearly reached her hip height—much bigger than your average dog. Anyone who didn't know dogs well enough would definitely think he was pure wolf.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk about?" she asked him.  
"I just wondered if you had thought about staying longer than a night," he asked lightly.  
She felt that familiar unease creep through her spine again and she sighed, thinking that maybe she should set him straight. She stopped and faced him, her green eyes meeting his dark brown ones.  
"Look, I don't know if you mean to imply what I think… but if you _are,_ then I just want you to know I'm not interested. I don't want anything to do with anyone," she told him kindly but firmly.  
She saw his eyes darken slightly but he nodded once stiffly.  
"I'm not interested in you either, I just thought you'd be a good fit for the group," he said coldly.  
She winced, now she had insulted him.  
"Well, I just assumed and you know what they say about assume, right? It makes an ass of 'u' and me," she rambled nervously.  
Shane gave her a perplexed look and she blew the air out of her mouth.  
"Look, I'm sorry. I just… With what you were saying last night I just assumed, and I wanted to set you straight before I hurt you or made things awkward," she explained honestly.  
He gave her a long even stare as if trying to judge whether she was telling the truth or not.  
"Thanks for being straight with me, even if I am disappointed," Shane forced a laugh.  
She gave him a light smile and then shrugged.  
"It's the right thing to do, right?" she replied awkwardly.  
Shane looked moodily off into the distance.  
"Maybe so, but not everyone does the right thing any more," he said grumpily.  
She pressed her lips together not knowing what to say in response.

Rick came up to them and nodded to Shane whom nodded back. She could detect a hint of animosity from Shane and it confused her, weren't they meant to be best friends?  
"Mornin' Ruby, could we have a chat?" Rick asked.  
"Sure thing, Sheriff," she said amicably and waved to Shane as they walked off together.  
"I wanted to ask you something," he said quietly, he sounded almost pensive.  
She gave him a sideways look and gestured for him to continue.  
"I spoke with Daryl last night. He said you didn't have a place to stay or food. He also said he was pretty sure you were alone," Rick started.  
Ruby shifted uncomfortably and jammed her hands in her pockets. Loki picked up on her agitation and nudged her gently.  
"Your point?" she asked.  
She winced as she came across more aggressively than she had intended to.  
"He also mentioned you were rather handy with a blade," Rick continued, ignoring her outburst.  
"So, what does that matter?" she asked, annoyance colouring her tone.  
"It means I want to ask if you'd like to be a permanent member of this group. We could use someone with your skills, and hopefully we're going to stay on this farm. Walker-proof it up a bit and make a real home here," Rick said bluntly.  
She stared at him in surprise, before a frown crossed her face.  
"You want me to stay? You don't know a thing about me! I don't know a thing about you guys!" she asked suspiciously. "What if I don't want to stay?"  
"Then we'll give you some provisions and you can be on your way. But I would really like you to reconsider. We can offer you protection, a steady source of food, water, a safe place for your animals," Rick pointed out.  
She looked down at Loki by her side, and thought about Athena who was finally unsaddled in a safe stall.  
"I don't know… I'm not exactly a team player," she mumbled.  
"Just… think about it. Take Daryl out and when it comes time to separate… I hope you'll consider staying," Rick said calmly.

She looked at him and wondered what on Earth he wanted from her. People just didn't give out stuff and safety for free. Everyone has a price.  
"What would you want from me?" she asked him.  
"Your skills in combat. Your hunting knowledge. In return for safety we would expect that you help keep the safety. Patrols, keeping watch, going for supply runs, that kind of thing. Hunts would be good, only Daryl knows how to hunt and it would be good to keep the pressure off him," Rick admitted.  
That sounded better. She would be a hired hand basically. The knowledge that it would be a fair exchange settled her wariness a little bit. As long as there was reciprocation things tended to work out and people who were useful were less likely to be kicked out of groups.  
"I'll think about it. I will," she promised him after thinking it over for a minute.  
"That's all I ask," he smiled and walked away.  
Ruby shook her head in bemusement and looked down at Loki.  
"What do you think buddy?"

She joined everyone for breakfast that morning, instead of hiding out. If she was going to stay she wanted to get a feel for the people in the camp. She was okay with Daryl, Carol, Rick and Shane, but there were many others she needed to become familiar with. She took her plate of rabbit stew and chose a spot between a burly black man who looked to be in his thirties, and an older man in his seventies.  
"Hi, I'm Ruby, this is Loki," she said as she sat down between them.  
The black man looked over and gave her a kind smile.  
"Looks like we got something in common. I'm T-Dog," he commented, holding a small piece of rabbit out for Loki.  
Ruby gave a small laugh at his nickname and turned to the older man.  
"I'm Dale," he replied to her and gave Loki a tentative pat.  
"So, you shot down Daryl's deer?" T-Dog asked her.  
"I would like to get the record straight about that," Ruby responded primly. "That deer was _mine_. I was the one who killed it. His bolt came later."  
T-Dog laughed and Dale gave her an amused expression.  
"Anyone game enough to kill something Daryl was hunting is good enough in my books," T-Dog assured her.  
Ruby smiled at him and felt herself relax. Loki was relaxed around the two men and that said something to her. Even though she didn't know these men, she felt like they didn't want to hurt her.

"I heard you're taking Daryl up to where you saw Sophia last?" T-Dog asked.  
"Yeah, we're headed up along a ridge about north, north east of here," Ruby explained.  
Breakfast was well over by now. Ruby was now in a group with a few of the survivors who were going looking for Sophia. The group consisted of herself, Daryl, Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Andrea. Dale was there as well, mostly so someone back at camp knew their whereabouts.  
"Any changes of plans?" Rick asked her, looking up from the map.  
She knew just by looking at him he was talking about whether or not she was staying with the group but she wasn't sure just yet.  
"None so far as I can see," she told him, meeting his eye.  
He nodded once and she saw Shane look between them curiously.  
"Hey, can I join?"  
Ruby turned to look at the newcomer, not recognising their face. It was a young boy, looking to be about seventeen years old. Acne marks littered his face and she had give a wry smile. She was certainly glad _her_ acne-prone days were over. Despite his young appearance, he looked honest and determined and she had to give him credit for that.  
"Jimmy. Hershel know about this?" Rick asked, concern in his voice.  
Ruby evaluated the young kid as he smiled confidently and nodded. He was eager, he looked keen to do his part and that was okay by her.  
"Yeah, yeah. He said I should ask you, and I wanna help. I know the area pretty well," he pressed.  
Rick exchanged a look with Shane, who shrugged at him, before giving a reluctant nod.  
"He can come with us," Andrea said to Rick.  
Ruby hadn't quite gotten the measure of the blonde woman yet. She wasn't exactly nice, but not exactly nasty either. More… indifferent than anything.  
"Thanks," the kid responded gratefully.

Everyone turned back to the search grids set up and Ruby noticed a few other places had been marked on the map.  
"Okay—" Rick started before he was cut off.  
"Look, I just wanna say it okay. None of what Daryl found really screams 'Sophia' to me," Shane said, shaking his head.  
Ruby looked at him confused and she could see Daryl start to bristle.  
"Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse," Shane persisted.  
She could see everyone shuffling awkwardly and frowning with each other and she wondered why he was saying such things. It was clearly getting everyone's morale down and pissing Daryl off. It seemed counter-productive to the whole situation.  
"Anyone includes her, right?" Andrea spoke up coolly.  
That was the moment that Ruby decided Andrea was okay.  
"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay-high," Daryl pointed out, a slight edge coming into his voice.  
He gestured to about his chest height and Ruby had to agree it was looking promising for the little girl.  
"With my help too, maybe those tracks will guide Daryl to her," Ruby put in helpfully.  
Shane glared at her and she was taken aback to see that directed at her. She steeled her gaze and glared back at him. She was not going to be burned at the stake for trying to help.  
"It's a good lead," Andrea persisted.  
"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again," Rick said encouragingly.  
"No maybe about it," Daryl spit out. "We're going by horseback up to this ridge here. I'll get a birds eye view of the whole grid. I'll find her."  
"Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there," T-Dog laughed.  
Ruby stared at T-Dog blankly as the rest of the group gave a small chuckle.  
"Chupa-whatta?" she asked, confused.  
"Chupacabra," Dale corrected her, his eyes searching her face before rifling through the gun bag. "Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of a time when he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra."  
Ruby was still confused and Jimmy gave a rather loud and unflattering snort.  
"Whatcha brayin' at, jackass?" Daryl snapped to Jimmy.  
"You believe in a bloodsucking dog?" he asked, amused.  
"You believe in dead people walking the earth?" Daryl shot back, shoving off the car and gesturing for Ruby to follow.

Ruby quickly caught up to Daryl and fell in step with him.  
"So, we doubling again?" she asked teasingly.  
He gave her a glare, clearly not forgetting the trotting incident.  
"Not fuckin' likely," he grumbled.  
She gave a small laugh and opened the barn doors for them. Daryl went to the chestnut mare next to Athena and she sighed as she looked at her stuff. Her jacket was draped haphazardly over the stall and her swag was still on the floor. She could almost feel Daryl's eyes on her as she shoved her jacket away in her bag.  
"You gonna stay?" Daryl asked quietly.  
Ruby pressed her lips together and shook her head as she thought back to Shane. His proposition to keep her company at night, then Loki's reaction to him; before thinking about how he had glared at her, essentially telling her that her opinion was not wanted.  
"I don't do people," she said finally.

She gave Athena another brush down before throwing her saddle back on. She carefully wrapped up her legs in her boots before sliding the bridle over her head. Ruby rolled up her swag and brushed off the sawdust still stuck to it. She attached it to the back of her saddle like yesterday and swung her pack onto her back. She grabbed Loki's pack as well and strapped it up securely around him.  
"Ya makin' a mistake," Daryl said to her.  
Ruby bit her lip as she gathered up Athena's reins.  
"Maybe, maybe not. It's my mistake to make," she replied quietly, leading Athena out of the stall.  
Daryl studied her as she easily vaulted onto Athena's back. After a moment he followed suit and clicked his horse forwards, leading them out.  
"I need to get my weapons back off Rick," she called to him.  
"Dale'll have them," he told her shortly.  
She nodded, indicating she'd heard him and nudged Athena into a trot over to Dale.

"Ruby, what can I get for you?" Dale asked as she arrived at his RV.  
"My weapons, please. I'm heading off," she told him.  
He nodded with a small frown and dug into a duffel bag he had nearby. He pulled out all her weapons and she strapped them to herself and Athena.  
"Hey, be safe out there. And… you can come back, you know. We'd welcome you," he said persuasively.  
She gave him a kind smile and reached her hand out to him. He took it and she gave it a squeeze.  
"Thank you Dale," she said softly.  
He gave her a small smile and handed her a small plastic bag. She looked at him in confusion and opened the bag to see a couple of cans of tinned ham, two fruit cups and two bottles of water.  
"It's not much, but should get you through a day or two," he said quietly.  
She knew Rick said they would give her food, but saying and doing were two different things entirely and she felt tears prick the backs of her eyes. She hadn't met anyone as truly kind and generous as these people since before the apocalypse and she was just truly grateful.  
"Can ya hurry it up? I've got a little girl to find!"  
Trust Daryl to ruin the moment.  
She snorted unflatteringly and stuffed the supplies in her bag.  
"Thank you Dale, I hope I will one day find a way to return the favour," she said to him, hoping that he knew just how touched she was by his actions.  
He smiled and nodded before stepping back and allowing her to leave.

She turned away from him to face Daryl.  
"Ready, redneck?" she asked, trying to hide the fact she had been close to tears.  
He rolled his eyes and slapped his horse's flanks with his reins, quickly accelerating into a canter. She snorted as Loki yipped in excitement next to her.  
"Hup! Hup!" she called out and gave Athena a small kick while clicking in encouragement.  
She leaned forwards over Athena's neck as she raced to catch up to Daryl. She felt that same lightness fill her veins as she enjoyed the feel of the wind in her hair and the steady hoof beats of her horse beneath her. Despite the head start Daryl had given himself the older chestnut horse was clearly no match for Athena. As they raced across the fields she drew Athena in close to Daryl and playfully leaned over and flicked his ear.  
"Watch what ya doin', woman!" he shouted back at her.  
She turned to him and gave him a playful grin.  
"I will if you can catch me," she teased and encouraged Athena on faster.  
She pulled ahead of Daryl easily and Loki raced along slightly behind her. Loki was fast, not quite as fast as Athena, but enough to pull ahead of Daryl. She knew once they got into the trees she'd have to pull up, but for now she wanted to enjoy the open flat land.

They hit the trees not a minute later and she pulled up on the reins, waiting for Daryl. Unfortunately he was a lot closer than she had anticipated and he nearly crashed right into her.  
"Goddamn it, ya idiot! What ya doin' just waitin' in the trees like that?" he yelled at her.  
She rolled her eyes.  
"Waiting for _you,"_ she replied sarcastically.  
He just grumbled something insulting and gestured for her to keep going. Ruby rolled her eyes and clicked Athena forwards.  
"Go figure, the redneck can't take a joke," she muttered.  
She felt his eyes glare into the back of her head but she brushed it off.

"So what's the plan once you find Sophia?" Ruby asked him as they rode onwards.  
"Rick wants to stay. Reckons it could be a good place to hole up," Daryl replied, coming up to ride beside her.  
She glanced over and she could see his eyes taking in all the trees. She assumed it was more than that; that he was taking in all different geographical markers but he was obviously seeing much more than she was.  
"Hole up for how long?" she asked curiously.  
Did Rick have a master plan? Did he know something she didn't? Did he believe in a cure for all this madness?  
"Dunno. Long as he can," Daryl responded.  
"What do you think?" she asked.  
"What I think don't matter," he muttered.  
She wanted to press it but she understood not wanting to talk so she stayed silent. She chose to take in all the sights and sounds around her. It reminded her of when she used to take Athena out for weekend rides. The peace and trilling of the birds always settled her and helped her think.  
"It's almost like nothing's ever happened out here," she murmured quietly.  
It got her to wondering about her riding companion and she wondered what he would be doing if it weren't for the apocalypse.  
"What would you be doing right now, if the apocalypse hadn't started?" she asked.  
He gave her a sideways look and narrowed his eyes at her.  
"Dancing with the Queen," he said sarcastically.  
She rolled her eyes.  
"Forget I asked," she snapped back.

She kicked Athena forwards into a trot and silently began to pick her way back to the ridge.  
They rode on in silence until she noticed two dead trees that had fallen into each other, their branches forming a spider web.  
"That's the spider web of trees I mentioned," Ruby said, pointing to the trees.  
Daryl nodded and looked around them.  
" _Sophia!_ " he shouted.  
The sound of his loud and distinctive voice echoed for what felt like miles and it actually made her jump as it cut through the relative silence of the trees. It felt like he was ringing a damn dinner bell.  
"Daryl, you're gonna attract every damn walker for miles!" she hissed.  
He glared at her.  
"If ya gonna give me that damn shit about not tryna find her like Shane then ya can just fuck right off!" he shouted at her.  
"For fucks sake, I'm trying help you find her! But she was way up ahead, and I thought you'd wanna be able to track without worrying about a bunch of walkers tryna eat your asshole!" she snapped angrily.  
She didn't know what was these people's problem today. Any time she offered help the men would shoot her down and act like she had ruined their life.  
"Don't you worry about me, Princess. Just fuck off and live your lonely life," he sneered.  
She shook her head and kicked Athena forwards. She would take Daryl to the ridge where she saw Sophia and then she'd fuck off and be done with their shit.  
"Can't believe I almost considered staying with you lot," she spat venomously as she rode off at an easy canter.  
She heard Daryl cuss at her as he had to focus on catching up.  
"You're a fuckin' bitch," he spat when he caught up.  
"And you're an asshole," she growled, not looking at him.

Up ahead was a rather sharp bend which would lead to the rock near to where she had seen Sophia.  
"You were thinking of staying?" he asked suddenly.  
"For half a second, but honestly, between you and Shane? I'm much better on my own," she snapped.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, pulling his horse in front of hers blocking the track and forcing her to stop.  
His blue eyes bored into hers angrily, demanding an answer. She narrowed her eyes at him.  
"I don't owe you shit," she spat. "Move your horse."  
"Shane do something to ya?" he asked, a level of seriousness hiding under a thick mask of frustration.  
She narrowed her eyes in confusion at him. What the hell did he even care?  
"Trust me, if he did something to me, he would be dead. Now move your fucking horse. We're nearly there," she growled.  
He studied her and finally she had enough and lightly kicked Athena forwards, causing Daryl's horse to skitter backwards and out of her way. She kept on as Daryl cussed her out again. They passed the sharp bend and she silently pointed out the piano rock. Daryl pulled up to it and saw the splash of blood. It was a dark rusty colour by now, several days old.  
" _Sophia!"_ he shouted again.  
Ruby clenched her jaw as she looked around nervously.  
"The walker I killed is just over there. I rode up the way I just took you but I didn't see her. I hope you find her," she said to him honestly.  
He looked at her and pressed his lips together tensely.  
"You should stay," he muttered.  
She snorted unflatteringly and shook her head.  
"I'm better off alone. Good bye, Daryl and good luck," she wished before turning on her heel and disappearing at a fast canter.


	3. Chapter 3

**I wanted to say thank you to all my new followers, favouriters and reviewers! You've made me so happy, and you're so patient! Thanks for sticking with me!**

* * *

Ruby had been riding on her own for nearly two hours and there was a niggle in her stomach. She couldn't quite explain it, but something just wasn't sitting right in her gut. As she rode further and further away the more it felt like some part of her, buried deep inside her was screaming at her to turn back. It was a lead weight in her stomach that was twisting around her insides, making her feel almost nauseated. The voice inside her head kept repeating Sophia's name and with every step away, it got slightly louder.  
"Don't be stupid now, you've just gotten away," she muttered reprimandingly to herself. "Those people are trouble."  
She bit her lip as startling, bright green eyes burned the back of her eyelids. She felt a pressure in her throat and she quickly buried the emotions and memories associated with those eyes. She knew she couldn't leave now, this was her subconscious ordering her to stay, to help find Sophia.

Ruby went to turn Athena around when she started skittering around nervously and Loki started growling.  
"Hey, hey, whoa… whoa," she called calmingly to the mare.  
She shortened her reins and sat deeper in the saddle trying to settle her but another horse came flying out from the bush beside her and barrelled into them. Ruby couldn't help the scream as Athena fell over from the collision and threw them down the path. Her head knocked hard on the ground and her right shoulder smashed into a rock. Even worse, she was pinned by Athena's 400+ kilogram body. She gasped out in pain as Loki rushed over to her licking her face. Athena began to struggle, trying to rise back to her feet and Ruby gasped as the pressure intensified on her leg. She quickly kicked her unpinned leg out of the saddle, and tried to wiggle her other one out. She tried to push both hands against Athena's body but her right shoulder screamed in protest. Tears streamed down her cheeks without her consent as the pain ripped through her. Athena scrambled up to her feet and Ruby yelled out in panic as her foot got caught in the stirrup. The last time she had her foot caught in a stirrup she'd been dragged for nearly 500 metres and trampled—she did not want a repeat of that.  
"Athena, Athena, whuuu," she shushed.  
Athena started to skitter, not liking the weight on one side.  
"Athena," she called out, feeling the panic start to arise as her whole body started to drag. She could feel her ankle starting to twist and she needed to calm herself and her horse down. Loki started to bark, sensing her distress and Athena snorted anxiously, the sound coming out more like a bray.  
"I'm okay, I'm okay," she reassured her frantic dog before focusing back on Athena.  
She wasn't responding to the quiet, soothes so it was time to try something else.  
"Athena, _whoa_ ," she growled.  
The mare stopped for a moment, and snorted at her. Ruby carefully watched Athena and noticed her muscles twitching.  
" _Athena_ ," she said warningly.  
The mare gave no indication she heard her but Ruby noticed the twitching stopped. She breathed a sigh of relief, as Loki whined and began to fervently lick her face.  
"It's okay, I'm okay. Just a little stuck, that's all buddy," she assured him.

She slowly sat up and carefully twisted her foot out of the stirrup. Her foot dropped with a thump and she winced as pain rocketed through her body. Athena began to crop at the grass closest to her, in sharp jerky movements. It wouldn't take a lot to set her off, but she was calm enough now that Ruby could assess herself and her situation. Ruby lay back, flat on her back in exhaustion. With all the adrenaline that had pounded through her body she hadn't noticed much but as it began to ebb away, the pain started coming back full force. She started at her toes, wiggling them. She could feel them all which was a good sign, but it hurt especially bad on her right side. She carefully twisted her ankle around and bit her lip as fire clawed through her muscles. It wasn't broken, but she thought she'd maybe twisted it or sprained it. Which was not exactly good news, but better than the alternative. Her leg and especially her hip was sore from having a 400+kg animal fall on her, but nothing she couldn't handle. Her torso was much the same, a bit of pain but nothing extreme. Her left arm was completely fine, but her right shoulder was most definitely in a bad way.  
"Fuck," she cursed.  
She was right hand dominant and without use of her arm she would die. She wouldn't be able to use her bow or her knife. She groaned as she realised she'd have to ride back to the group and ask for help. She slowly rose to her feet, using Loki for support and gingerly made her way over to where Athena was now waiting calmly. Ruby carefully checked over Athena looking for any injuries and aside from a couple of scrapes, Athena was fine. There was no sign of any swelling in any of her legs, thankfully and Athena was now standing like nothing had ever happened. She sighed in relief and gave her a reassuring pat.  
"Good girl, thanks for waiting," she cooed.

A snort beside Athena caught Ruby's attention and she peered over Athena's back. A familiar chestnut face caught her eye and she frowned. _What was Daryl's horse doing out here on her own?_ _Where was Daryl?_ She felt a little seed of worry plant itself in her stomach and she limped over to the mare.  
"Hey, girl, whatcha doin' out here all on your own?" she called soothingly.  
She stepped in closer and snagged the lead rope that was attached to her. She was rather pleased to see that Daryl had taken the time to throw on a halter with the bridle, it made her job much easier.  
"I'm gonna bring you home, don't worry."  
She brought the mare over to Athena and looped the lead rope around the horn on her saddle. The chestnut mare snorted nervously and Ruby ran her hand gently over her forehead.  
"It's okay, you're okay," she murmured soothingly.  
The mare settled slightly and Ruby looked up at Athena.  
"Now to get back in the saddle."

Ruby brought Athena over to a fallen log and stood her next to it so she was mounting from her right side. It was opposite to normal but she thought that would be where she'd have the most luck. She moved the reins to loop them loosely over the saddle horn and stuck her right foot in the stirrup. It hurt a bit, but it wasn't too bad. She knew, the worst was yet to come though. It felt strange, knowing she couldn't grab onto anything with her right hand, it made her feel incapacitated. Which, she supposed she was, really. Ruby took a deep breath and, despite the awkwardness, gripped onto a lock of Athena's mane with her left and hauled herself up. Tears sprang to her eyes as she put her weight on her right foot but it couldn't be helped, she knew that.  
"Phew. Glad I don't have to do that too often."  
She looked down at her lifeless arm and sighed before clicking Athena onwards.

Ruby soon found out that it was either a walk or a canter; a trot threw her arm and ankle around too much. When she had tried the trot she nearly passed out from the amount of pain that jolted repeatedly through her arm as she bounced. Because of that Ruby made pace of three minutes at a canter and ten at a walk. It was kind of slow going but better than the alternative. As she rode she chatted out loud to the animals. It had a dual purpose. It kept them calm and kept her calm, while she was talking she didn't think. She didn't think about her useless arm and about whether or not it was serious. It was times like these that she really hated having no medical expertise. Though, how was she supposed to know that she was going to be alone in a freaking apocalypse. If she _had_ known, she would have gone to medical school instead of doing some useless arts degree.

She shook her head, there was no use dwelling on such thoughts now. She doubted she would ever step foot in a university for educational purposes again. She looked back at the chestnut she was ponying and that worry for Daryl came back again. While he hadn't been an Olympic level rider, he was still rather competent on horseback so something must have gone wrong for him to be thrown. She didn't think he would be stupid enough not to tie up his horse if he were going to inspect something. She hoped he was conscious. A terrible thought struck her. What if he had turned? What if she came across him and instead of human… he was a walker? It didn't sit right with her that someone as skilled and as strong as Daryl in survival would be turned into a walker because he got thrown from a horse. The images and thoughts running through her mind scared her enough to push Athena back into a canter.

It took her much longer than she wanted to reach the spot where she had left Daryl.  
"Daryl!" she yelled out.  
She almost snorted at the memory of the tongue lashing she had given him for yelling out for Sophia, now here she was doing the same.  
" _Daryl!_ "  
She looked around but couldn't see any sign of him. She frowned and then an idea popped up in her mind. She looked at Loki and bit her lip. She didn't know if he would be able to track down Daryl, but she could give it a shot. If she could find something that smelled like Daryl. Ruby jumped down from Athena's saddle trying her best to ignore how much that had hurt. She limped over to the chestnut mare and began searching through her saddlebags. The first only held food and water but the second had the jackpot. There was a flannel in there that had been previously stained with his blood. She couldn't ask for anything better. She whistled for Loki and he trotted over and sat at her side. She held out the cloth to him and let him sniff at it. He looked back at her and she took a deep breath, it was now or never. She had never actually asked him to track a particular scent before. It had always been to find a scent.  
"Hunt," she ordered him.

Loki looked at her for a second and put his nose to the ground. She smiled grimly and quickly pulled herself back up onto Athena. Loki then began to lope off and she pushed Athena forwards to keep up with him. While following the scent Loki took them down the side of the ridge, down the opposite side at that. Ruby frowned as she saw how steep it was, she knew that they'd have to pick another way down. She whistled for Loki to follow and slowly she let Athena pick her path down. It was at this point she unwound the chestnut's lead rope and held onto it with her good hand. The path was single file only and Athena couldn't afford to be knocked off her feet again.  
"Daryl!" Ruby yelled out again as the trail started to level off again.  
The sound of running water met her ears but there was no stubborn Southern drawl. She pressed her lips together in worry and held the shirt back out for Loki. He sniffed it again and immediately took off upstream.  
"Hup! Hup!"  
The horses broke into a canter at her voice and soon she came across a small stream. She paused to allow the horses to drink and kept scanning her eyes around them. Loki whined impatiently ahead of her and she pushed Athena on to follow. Loki raced up the stream for about four hundred metres before coming into somewhat of a clearing. Ruby frowned as she took in the scene before her. Two walkers dead, one with its skull caved in and another with a bolt to the forehead. She also saw a worrying amount of blood pooled up in the mud and she bit her lip. Something had definitely gone wrong. That seed of worry in her stomach turned into a boulder, that weighed her down.  
"Keep going, Loki, we've gotta find that stubborn ass," she called to him.  
He looked at her and tilted his head to the side. Despite the situation—the appearance of Loki looking so domestic and cute couldn't help but bring a smile to her face. However, she had a job to do and she couldn't afford to be distracted now.  
"Hunt," she told him.

He immediately leapt up and raced up the embankment. Ruby groaned, of course Daryl had climbed up the steepest part, instead of finding a nice path up. She clicked to Athena and looked at the other horse. If they were going to climb a mountain as steep as this then each horse would need its head. That meant she would have to give the other horse it's lead back and just hope it would follow. She tied the lead rope around the horses saddle horn, leaving plenty of slack and took a deep breath.  
"Just follow us okay?" she said reassuringly.  
The horse snorted and Ruby pushed Athena onwards. She gave Athena her head and leaned up over the horse's neck as much as she could. Athena snorted and began to climb the embankment. It was slow going and clearly strenuous but halfway up Athena found a small path which made the trip much easier, if a bit longer. The chestnut simply charged up the hill with no thought, rhyme or reason. She slid a bit, but when she did she'd just lunge for another section of the ground.

Finally they reached the top and Athena was blowing hard.  
"Good girl," Ruby cooed to her, stroking her neck soothingly.  
Athena took a few steps forwards and Ruby drew her reins back up. She looked over for the chestnut and smile when she saw her grazing nearby. She guided Athena over and grabbed the lead rope, winding it back over her saddle. Loki had already started to lope off again but she had to call him back. As much as she wanted to find Daryl, she needed to give the horses a few minutes to regain their breath. She kept them at a steady walk for a good ten minutes before pushing for another canter. They resumed the pace Ruby had set earlier and she started to come across a small trail of dead walkers, which relieved her somewhat. At least he was still able to defend himself. They had been travelling for a good thirty minutes when Loki growled menacingly and raced off, out of sight.  
"Loki!" she yelled and kicked the horses into a gallop.

They galloped on for about five hundred metres when she saw Loki standing protectively over a walker and snapping at another which was crawling along the ground, biting at them.  
"Loki!" she called in fear.  
At the sound of her voice, the walker Loki was protecting rose up into a sitting position.  
" _Loki!_ "  
The wolf ignored her scream and pounced on the crawler and taking its' head in his jaws, he shook his head and body hard enough to snap its' neck and halt its progress. The other walker that had sat up then grabbed something beside it and then shot an arrow at the crawler's head, killing it. Loki stopped growling and then turned to the other and licked at its face.  
It was at this point that Ruby realised that Loki hadn't been protecting a walker, he had been protecting _Daryl_.

Ruby threw herself off Athena and awkwardly limp—ran over to the annoying redneck.  
"Oh my God, Daryl!" she exclaimed.  
She knelt on the ground beside him and reached out for him, trying to discern what had actually happened to him. What she didn't expect was Daryl to be delirious. He smacked her hard in the head with his crossbow and she yelled out in pain. It exploded from her eyebrow flaring out like a supernova and she was thrown on her back from the force. Daryl immediately threw himself on top of her, his knees pinning her arms down while aiming his crossbow at her head. The pressure from his knee and body weight felt like he was trying to rip her arm from her body and her shoulder felt like it was on fire. The pain travelled through her entire body and tears leaked down her face as she let out an agonising scream.

It was that scream that saved her life though. It seemed to cut through Daryl's delusion and he blinked slowly at her.  
"Ruby?" he asked in confusion.  
He didn't get any more than that out though as Loki pounced on him, knocking him clear off her. Ruby cradled her arm as sobs tore from her mouth. The pain was radiating through her like waves, each sending a sick punch to her gut. She tried to hold back her breakfast but as her body throbbed once more it broke her. She barely had time to turn her head before she violently began throwing up.

She could vaguely hear the sounds of a scuffle behind her and she spat out the residual bile in her mouth. She turned to see Daryl pinned to the ground by a snarling Loki, whose jaws were scarily close to Daryl's face.  
"Loki," she croaked out.  
He immediately returned to her and Daryl's eyes met hers.  
"Ya look like shit," he told her with a slightly hoarse and gravelly voice as he tried to sit up.  
"Thanks, Captain fucking Obvious," she growled.  
A few more tears dribbled down her face but she ignored them. Since expelling her breakfast she began to feel slightly better and the pain started to throb a little less angrily. She reached into her backpack and pulled out one of the bottles of water Dale had given her. She took a mouthful and swilled it around her mouth before spitting it out. She staggered to her feet and stumbled the few steps over to where Daryl was sitting before flopping down next to him. She silently passed the bottle over to him and he snatched it, sucking down some water greedily.

She took the time to look over him and frowned as she could see he had been put through hell. He had a large cut over the side his head that had bled down the right side of his face. He'd ripped the sleeves off his shirt and tied a makeshift bandage around his side. She could see it was a rather serious wound because blood was seeping through slowly and spreading down his side. She decided to leave the walker ears around his neck alone, that suggested a whole different level of wild that she wasn't going to touch with a ten-foot pole.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her concern growing.  
He looked up at her and she thought he looked exhausted, like he was almost on the verge of giving up.  
"Stupid fuckin' horse threw me. Landed on an arrow 'n' took a dip in a river," he replied. His eyes travelled her frame and lingered on her limp arm.  
"What happened to you?" he asked.  
A small smile touched her lips.  
"Your stupid horse ran into mine and knocked us over. Athena landed on me and now my arms shot and my ankle's busted. I'm hoping that someone back at camp will know what to do," Ruby answered honestly.  
He sat closer to her and reached out for her arm. Ruby bit back a string of curses and more tears fell as his hands felt around her shoulder and prodded at her arm.  
"You've dislocated ya arm. Hershel'll fix it," he told her.  
His hands travelled down to her ankle where more tears fell as he experimentally twisted and massaged it.  
"You've got a sprain. Hershel can fix that too."  
She looked down at her useless arm and flopped back in the dirt and leaves, a wave of exhaustion overcoming her. Now that she had found Daryl she felt better, she knew he was safe and not being gnawed on by some walker.  
"We've gotta get going, we're not far," Daryl grumbled.  
"Just five more minutes," she mumbled, her eyes closed.  
"Get up ya stupid bitch, we ain't safe," Daryl growled at her, kicking her good leg lightly.  
She cursed at him but grudgingly sat up.  
"You're an ass," she muttered, but staggered up to her feet regardless.  
She then held out her good hand for Daryl. He looked at it for a second and then stuck his own calloused hand in hers, accepting the help.  
"C'mon, horseback'll be faster," she mumbled.  
"I ain't gettin' on that nag ever again," he spat viciously.  
Ruby just rolled her eyes.  
"Get on the fuckin' horse, I'll pony ya back like I've been doin' this whole time," she snapped.  
Daryl muttered a few curses at her under his breath but she didn't care. She was too tired for this shit. All the pain she'd been put through was starting to get to her now and all she wanted to do was sleep.

She brought Daryl over to the chestnut and he grumbled as he took up the reins. The mare skittered nervously but Ruby soothed her with a few reassuring words.  
"Ready?" she asked, holding onto the horse's halter.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I can get up on my own," he spit at her.  
She held her arms up in surrender and stepped away. Daryl stuck his foot in the stirrup and she saw him wince as he hauled himself up. She saw him breathe heavily as he sat in the saddle and she knew that it had hurt him a lot more than he let on. She had to grudgingly admire the annoying redneck. He was all beaten up, injured, and yet he'd still managed to make it all this way on his own without getting eaten by walkers. He was one tough sonofabitch, that's for sure.  
"Ya comin'?" he grumbled to her.  
She waved her hand and headed over to Athena who was waiting patiently as ever.  
"Hey, girl, it's almost over," she murmured.  
She grabbed onto her reins and some of her mane. She was not looking forwards to this. It had been hard enough the first time, from an elevated platform. She hopped three times on her good leg, trying to gain enough momentum. Ruby tried to pull herself up but tripped on the last hop and fell hard on the ground, jarring her shoulder and jerking her ankle. She yelped in pain as her body protested against the abuse she was giving it and a few stray tears leaked out.  
"Ya need a hand?" Daryl asked.  
She could hear genuine concern in his voice but shrugged his help off.  
"I'm okay, just slipped," she said through gritted teeth.  
She stood back up and glared at her useless arm like it had personally offended her.  
"Stupid fuckin' thing," she grumbled irritated.  
She began to hop again, trying to get back up. Again, she tried to get back on but the moment she tried she knew she didn't have enough momentum. That was when she felt a hand grip onto the back of her jeans and haul her up. The fingers brushed against the bare skin on the small of her back and it sent tingles up her spine. For approximately ten seconds while he helped her up she was hyper-aware of exactly where his fingers were, and of the skin he was touching. She looked over at Daryl as she sat in the saddle and he met her eyes with a raised eyebrow as if daring her to say something. Her eyes dropped to her hand, fiddling awkwardly.  
"Thanks," she muttered.  
He just ignored her, which relieved her slightly. Ruby took a deep breath and clicked Athena onwards, pulling Daryl's horse along with her.

They had been riding in silence, making good time, until she heard a dull thump behind her and the chestnut horse skittered off to the side. She halted Athena and looked over to see Daryl, lying unmoving on the ground.  
"Fuck," she cursed and threw herself off Athena.  
"Daryl!" she yelled, trying to wake him up.  
She knelt down next to him and began to tap his face.  
"Daryl!"  
He barely even twitched. She looked down at his side and realised his wound had reopened as it was bleeding more profusely than before.  
"Goddamn it," she growled.  
She needed to wake him up and get him to help, fast. She pulled out a water bottle from her pack and unscrewed the lid before pouring it over Daryl's face. He woke up with a splutter and coughed violently.  
"What the fuck ya doin' ya crazy bitch?!"  
She glared at him.  
"You were fucking unconscious," she growled in explanation.  
He glared back at her and pushed her away as he tried to stand. He managed to get to his feet but nearly fell straight back over. Ruby quickly grabbed him and held him upright. As much as he may not have wanted her help, he needed it. She pulled his right arm over her shoulder and slung her left one around his waist. She knew just by how much weight he was leaning on her that there was no way she could get him back in the saddle.  
"Tryna cop a feel?" he mumbled.  
She snorted in derision, ignoring the fact that she could feel that Daryl was clearly all muscle.  
"Not a chance, redneck," she laughed.  
"Don't know whatcha missin'," he said, trying to make it sound like a joke.  
She rewarded him with a small laugh and gave him a smile.  
"Hmm, a busted up redneck with a hole in his side, how could I resist," she teased.  
He just grunted his agreement. Ruby looked over at Athena and a small frown crossed her forehead. She was pretty tied up with Daryl, she just had to hope that they'd follow. She knew Loki would, and normally she would assume Athena would but the chestnut mare was a wild card. Who knew what would set her off. Daryl started to lean heavier on her and she could see he was barely keeping conscious, they needed to get moving.  
"Okay, we're gonna get going, just, stay awake okay?"  
Daryl barely mumbled in response and she sighed before starting to hobble off with him.

Thankfully they were nearly at the farm when Daryl fell anyway so their walk to the edge of the woods only took about twenty minutes. Ruby gave a big sigh of relief as she stepped out into the open. The sun hit her face and sent a sense of warmth straight to her bones.  
"Feel that sun, Daryl?" she commented.  
"Yeah, it's fuckin' bright," he muttered.  
She snorted in amusement and grinned at him. She didn't really expect anything else from him, all she knew was that they were almost safe. She could see Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Glenn running over and she felt relief wash over her.  
"See, your friends are almost here," she pointed out as they stumbled along.  
Daryl was beginning to trip over his own feet and he looked like he was barely conscious. They stumbled forwards a few more steps until she saw Rick with his gun pointed at them. A cold shiver of fear trickled down her back and she stopped dead in her tracks. She cursed the fact that she was unarmed. Athena had her bow, machete and gun. Ruby only had her hunting knife on her but she was pretty occupied by holding Daryl up. Daryl, however, shoved himself off her and held his arms out wide as if waiting for judgement day.  
"That's the third time you pointed that thing at my head. You gonna pull the trigger or what?!" he spat out harshly.  
Her eyes flicked between them nervously but sighed in relief when Rick lowered his gun.

 _Bang!_

Daryl dropped like a sack of potatoes next to her and Ruby screamed as the shot rang out. She immediately dropped to Daryl's side as Rick started yelling behind her. Blood was seeping down the left side of his face where a nasty cut had split through his hairline. Daryl looked up at her in surprise.  
"Damn," he muttered, reaching a shaky hand up to his newest injury.  
Rick knelt next to her and she could see Shane on his other side. She saw Daryl's eyes focus on Rick and she was surprised to see no malice on his face at all.  
"I was kidding," Daryl said gruffly before closing his eyes.  
"You've gotta help him, he's lost a lot of blood," Ruby said desperately.  
"You don't look great yourself, are you okay?" Rick asked, while hauling Daryl up.  
"I'm fine," Ruby brushed his concerns off.  
She was much more concerned about the now unconscious Daryl being hauled away by Shane and Rick.

"Oh my God! Is he okay?!"  
Ruby looked up to see Andrea running up with Dale.  
"Is he dead?!"  
"No, unconscious, you just grazed him," Rick assured the blonde.  
Ruby saw the distraught look on Andrea's face and felt a wave of sympathy for the woman. She had only been looking out for the group and she supposed from that far away, with the way they were staggering around that she could have mistaken them for walkers.  
"What the hell happened?!" Glenn demanded rounding on her. "He's wearing _ears_!"  
Ruby had completely forgotten about the ears.  
"Look—"  
"Let's just keep that a secret," Rick interrupted, snatching the morbid necklace from Daryl's neck.  
Ruby snapped her mouth shut and turned around, to grab her horse whom was thankfully still following her.  
"Wait… isn't this Sophia's?"  
Ruby snapped around at T-Dog's voice and her eyes widened as she saw a small doll. She hadn't even noticed Daryl carrying that around. Had Daryl found Sophia while she had been gone? Rick's eyes met hers in question and she could see a slight hint of disappointment when he realised she didn't know what it meant either. She felt a small pit of guilt in her stomach and turned away, collecting up Athena's reins with her good arm.

She brought the horses into the barn and finally put the nervy chestnut mare in her own stall where she settled. She dragged the saddle off the horse and slung it over the stall door, doing the same with the bridle. Her next priority was getting Athena sorted. She took off Athena's tack and then gave her a good brush down. It was awkward doing it all left handed but it just made her think that she should practise ambidexterity. Ruby set all her stuff back down in the stall, hoping that they'd allow her to stay for one more night.

"Hey, Ruby."  
Ruby jumped in fright as Shane's grim voice came from behind her.  
"Shane, jesus. You gave me a fright," she laughed nervously.  
He leaned over the stall door and gave her a curious look. His dark brown eyes bored into her and she felt like he was trying to pick her apart, bit by bit. She hated that feeling.  
"Just wanted to check on you. You looked almost as bad as Daryl, staggerin' outta that field," Shane said to her.  
She gave a small laugh.  
"Yeah, don't blame Andrea for mistaking us for walkers," Ruby agreed.  
Shane tilted his head to the side slightly and she tensed as she felt his eyes travel her body.  
"I would never make that mistake," he muttered.  
She shuffled uncomfortably and turned back to Athena, fiddling with a twig that had gotten caught in her mane.  
"Your arm looks a little weird, what happened?" he asked.  
She looked down at the arm just hanging limply down by her side ruefully.  
"I took a fall and landed hard. Daryl said I dislocated my shoulder. He said Hershel could take care of it for me, but I don't want to bother him until he's finished with Daryl," Ruby explained.  
"Is that all? I can pop a shoulder back in for you, if you'd like?" Shane offered.  
Ruby bit her lip and then nodded.  
"If you don't mind?" she asked.  
"Not at all," Shane assured her.  
He opened the stall door and quickly slipped in, closing it behind him. Ruby turned to face him and he carefully took her arm in his hands.  
"It's gonna hurt," he warned her.  
She looked at him warily but nodded gripping tight onto a lock of Athena's mane for assurance. Shane brought her arm up slowly to a ninety degree angle and Ruby clenched her teeth as her pain came back with full force. Shane then proceeded to pull on her arm and Ruby couldn't help the whimper that fell from her mouth when all of a sudden she heard a _click._ All of a sudden she could feel her arm like normal and her pain faded away to a mere echo of what it had been. She let out a tense breath as Shane dropped her arm and gently rolled her shoulder, massaging it. She flexed her fingers and arm and grinned as she felt no resistance.  
"Thank you, Shane!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around him.  
She gave him a light squeeze and he returned the favour.  
"My pleasure," he responded and gave her a grin.  
She quickly pulled away and shuffled over to Athena, feeling embarrassed. Shane's eyes watched her carefully and she turned away.  
"I think I'm gonna go check on Daryl," she mumbled feeling awkward.  
She quickly slipped past Shane and was out of the barn before he could even say anything.

* * *

 **I have never had any kind of sprain, break or dislocation, so I'm really hoping I got the pain and awkwardness right! I had to do a fair bit of googling for it, haha.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting! Thank you also for sticking with me and I hope you all had a great New Year and an even better year to come!**

* * *

Ruby limped across the yard and trotted up the steps to the farmhouse before pausing in front of the door. She hadn't actually been invited into the farmhouse yet and she was a bit unsure as to what kind of manners were applied in this situation. As far as she knew everyone else could walk right in and do as they pleased, but everyone else knew Hershel. Ruby had never officially even met the man, just his daughter, Maggie. She bit her lip before deciding to do the polite thing. She knocked three times on the door and waited.

A young blonde girl of about seventeen answered the door. Her innocent blue eyes met her green ones and she gave her a warm smile.  
"Hi! You must be Ruby," she greeted pleasantly.  
Ruby smiled and nodded.  
"That I am. I just wondered if I would be allowed in to see Daryl yet?" she asked.  
The girl nodded and opened the door wider. She stepped aside and Ruby nodded in thanks as she stepped through.  
"I'm sorry, but I don't know your name," Ruby apologised.  
"Oh, I'm Beth. I'm Maggie's sister," she responded easily.  
"Nice to meet you, Beth."  
Ruby's first impression of the girl was that she was rather sweet. Of course, she couldn't say anything definitively without getting to know her properly, but she had a good feeling about this girl.  
"He's upstairs and in the second room to the left," Beth directed, pointing to the stairs.  
"Thank you," Ruby said, before following the girl's directions.

Ruby limped her way up the stairs and peeked her head into the second room. She saw Daryl in there with an older man she figured to be Hershel.  
"Hey, just coming in for a quick check up," Ruby called softly.  
Her eyes darted from Daryl to Hershel, back to Daryl; not knowing which man she should focus her attention on. Hershel stood up from his spot beside Daryl and held out his hand to her. She took it in surprise and confusion, giving him a firm handshake. He had a weathered, but kind face with bright blue eyes, which made him seem younger than he appeared.  
"Thanks for bringing back my horse," he thanked her.  
She shrugged it off, the horse wouldn't have survived if she hadn't brought her home. That was a thought that simply just didn't sit right with her.  
"It was nothing," she said offhandedly.  
"Damn horse nearly killed me," Daryl muttered.  
Hershel gave him a disapproving look.  
"That horse is Nelly. As in Nervous Nelly. I could've told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask," Hershel said with a hint of a snap to his voice.  
Ruby raised an eyebrow at Daryl who scoffed at Hershel.  
"In any case, I'm grateful you brought her back," Hershel said to her before walking out and closing the door behind him.

"Yikes," she muttered once he was gone.  
Daryl rolled his eyes.  
"Grumpy old man," he muttered.  
She gave him a reproachful look.  
"You should be more grateful, he did help save your life even after you stole his horse," she scolded him lightly.  
Daryl just grumbled something under his breath. She assumed it was something unflattering but she didn't care.  
She sat down in the chair that Hershel had just vacated and slipped her boots off before resting her feet up on the bed.  
"Comfortable?" Daryl asked sarcastically.  
Ruby gave him an innocent, doe eyed look and then looked around mockingly and shrugged.  
"I wouldn't mind a pillow," she said sarcastically.  
He rolled his eyes and just lay back on the bed. She studied him as he did so and took note of how carefully he moved; that was enough to tell her that he was in considerable amounts of pain.

"So, is it serious?" she asked him, trying to sound casual.  
He didn't even bother looking over, just stared straight up at the ceiling.  
"No. Hershel patched me up pretty good. I'm just glad her aim ain't any better," he said dismissively.  
"God, that scared me when that happened," Ruby admitted.  
He turned to face her in confusion, his blue eyes narrowing suspiciously at her.  
"I thought I'd been hauling your smelly, bloody, whiny ass all through the woods for nothin'," she teased lightly.  
Daryl rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at her. She laughed loudly as it hit her in the face.  
"Watch out, you just gave me ammo," she mock threatened him.  
"That's okay. I've got more," he smirked.  
She looked at the armada of pillows stacked up on the bed and had to agree. The odds were in his favour.  
"Uncle," she said, raising her hands in surrender.  
Daryl's smirk grew, before he seemed to realise something and frowned.  
"Ya shoulder's better," he commented.  
She looked at it and nodded.  
"Yeah, Shane fixed it for me," she said dismissively.  
Daryl frowned and gestured for her to come closer. Confusion flickered through her mind, why did Daryl want her to come closer? She eyed him off on the bed, he was injured but she knew he was surprisingly strong even when injured. She hesitated as her heart rate increased, and when she met his eyes he encouraged her closer again. She took a deep breath and cautiously sat on the bed next to him. Daryl rose up and pushed himself up against the headboard before leaning over her previously dislocated shoulder. Ruby tensed as one of his hands held onto her arm, while the other began pushing and prodding at her shoulder again. He started to move her arm around and she raised an eyebrow at him. His calloused fingers continued to press against her shoulder joint before he huffed and dropped her arm.

"Happy now?" she asked.  
"Ya gotta be careful poppin' joints in. Merle once popped his shoulder out and tore his muscles up good poppin' it back in," Daryl grunted in explanation.  
She felt herself relax slightly as Daryl moved away. It wasn't that she thought he was going to hurt her, he'd had ample opportunity to do so before. It was just that after everything that had happened, a kind touch was one she was unused to.  
"Well, thanks for checkin' me out, Doctor Daryl," she said with a teasing smile.  
He smirked back at her and then lay back, staring at the ceiling. She copied his relaxed posture and stared up as well. Silence stretched between them but for once it wasn't borne from anger or frustration. It was pleasant. She realised it was because she was comfortable and she knew that her guard had come down slightly around Daryl. It was hard to believe they had only met the day before. She supposed that times weren't the same as they used to be. A day could last a lifetime in the apocalypse. Plus, after all they had been through, fights, doubling and dragging him through the woods, she felt like they had actually started to forge a bond, a rapport. She wondered if he felt the same way.

She quickly glanced over at him to see his eyes had closed. She was surprised at just how much more relaxed he looked; when he was in the camp or in the forest he nearly always had a frown on his face. Now, he looked a lot less severe, a little less likely to rip your head off.

Ruby decided to take advantage of this moment to really study him and his features. He had kind of angular features, with naturally distrustful, hooded eyes. Facial hair was growing in over his sharp jaw and it suited him. That combined with his short messy brown hair gave him a real wild appearance. He _looked_ like a survivalist, like a predator. She felt like she wasn't that far off the mark. He clearly spent a lot of time outdoors and in the sun, even before the apocalypse. His skin had that slightly golden hue that you only got from the sun, and he had a smattering of sunspots over his arms and shoulders. Which just brought her to his arms. Even if, overall, he was on the lean side of muscular, those arms were strong and when he held his crossbow the muscles almost bulged. He was attractive in a different kind of way. He definitely wasn't a Heath Ledger, pretty boy. However he didn't quite have the same bulky ruggedness as Hugh Jackman. She decided he looked just fine the way he did now and she had done enough ogling for now. She thanked her lucky stars that he hadn't opened his eyes to see her staring at him and figured he probably wanted some rest.

She made to leave but as she shifted a discontent noise from Daryl's direction made her pause. She looked at him with surprise and curiosity to see his eyes had opened and were looking straight at her. As much as he may not have wanted to show it, a hint of uncertainty glimmered in his cornflower blue eyes. She wondered where it had come from exactly and what it meant.  
"Thanks for findin' me," he mumbled finally after the silence had stretched out to the point of tense awkwardness.  
She studied him carefully, trying to gauge his sincerity and mood. She knew Daryl was prone to more mood swings than a pregnant woman.  
"Might come as a surprise to you," she murmured, dropping her eyes from his. "But I don't actually hate ya."  
Such displays of sentiment, even if it wasn't much, were foreign and uncomfortable for her.  
"I don't actually hate ya either," he smirked back at her.  
She was grateful that he chose to not make the moment awkward between them. She matched his smirk and shook her head.  
"I'm obviously not tryin' hard enough," she laughed.  
Daryl snorted hard enough and loud enough to make her frown slightly but then smirked as he winced and held his injured side.  
"Karma," she teased and he glared at him.

In the momentary silence that spread between them, Ruby could hear muffled voices from behind the door. She raised an eyebrow at Daryl, silently asking if he thought she should eavesdrop. He shrugged at her and she took that as a 'yes'. She quietly climbed off the bed and crept over to the door, listening carefully.

The voices were distinctly male. She didn't know anyone in the camp well enough to pick out different nuances to identify who was who. One was low, while the other sounded rather annoyed or frustrated. It was hard to tell which. The first voice sounded like he was trying to convince the other of something and the other just wasn't having it. Ruby heard Daryl's name mentioned and then decided this was a conversation they should probably hear.

She threw the door open to reveal a startled Rick and Shane.  
"Howdy fellas, anything Daryl or I should know?" she asked brightly.  
Rick turned to Shane pointedly and Shane glared at Rick. Ruby's eyes flicked uncertainly between the two men, suddenly wishing she hadn't opened the door.  
"Shane, tell them," Rick said quietly but firmly.  
"Tell us what?" Ruby demanded.  
Shane's dark eyes darted around for a moment while he shuffled and rubbed the back of his head before his eyes met hers where she was waiting patiently.  
"Look, the way I see it… Daryl nearly just _died_ tryna get a _doll_. And all you got from that search was a busted shoulder from it. Maybe… maybe it's time to start thinking about calling off the search," Shane said quietly, obviously not wanting to upset the volatile redneck or Ruby.  
"And the way _I_ see it, Daryl's just brought us our first piece of hard evidence we've actually gotten," Rick put in quickly.  
Ruby blinked for a moment trying to think rationally and process what she'd just been told. Instinctively, it felt wrong to even think about calling off a search for a twelve year old girl. However, it _was_ the apocalypse, and twelve year old girls didn't exactly have the best chances for survival. On the other hand, she didn't want all Daryl's efforts to be for nothing, and if they gave up the search she would feel even more guilty for not finding the little girl days ago. Those haunting green eyes flashed in her mind again and Ruby knew that her conscience would never let her sleep if she agreed to call off the search. Ruby sighed and rubbed her face, before looking at Shane.  
"Shane, I understand. I really do. I can't even begin to imagine losing someone from your community, and I know it's difficult trying to decide what the best thing is for a whole _group_ of people, but I do think we should keep looking. We are that little girl's only hope right now, she's probably terrified, hoping and praying we're going to find her. I think we will too, the longer we stay here the more chance she has to be found," Ruby said, trying to explain her position gently without insulting the man. "And how would Carol feel? Knowing we were giving up on her baby girl? Her morale would drop as would the rest of the groups. I know it's more and more difficult as the days pass, but… as adults, as _people_ , I think we owe it to that little girl."  
Apparently, her opinion didn't go over too well as his face twitched and she could see a slight build up of red throughout his face. Rick seemed to notice it as well and she noticed an almost unconscious shift in his stance whereby he placed himself slightly in front of her. The nature of it, the way he did it subconsciously made her realise that Rick really was a good, honourable man. Some part of him at least, was still a cop and suddenly he became more in her eyes. Instead of being the man in charge of the group, he became a leader. A leader protected their people and provided for them. Even if she wasn't a member of the group she felt a little touched by Rick defending her too, it was even enough she thought about reconsidering the idea of staying with the group.  
"What would you know?! You didn't even _know_ Sophia!" Shane spat at her venomously.  
"Shane…" Rick warned him lowly.  
"You're the girl who _didn't even bother!_ " Shane snapped, his mouth curled up into a vicious snarl.  
"That is enough, Shane," Rick growled, shielding her further and stepping closer to the man.  
Meanwhile, Ruby could hardly believe this was the same man whom had just popped her shoulder in place and she crossed her arms defiantly.

Shane shook his head and stalked off, not saying another word. Rick blew out a tense breath and ran his hand through his hair.  
"Hey Rick?" Ruby asked softly, feeling a little embarrassed.  
He turned to face her with a curious expression.  
"Thanks," she mumbled.  
Rick gave her a warm smile and gave her shoulder a light squeeze.  
"Thank _you_ ," he rebuked.  
She felt a slight flush raise to her cheeks, she hadn't expected any praise from what she had said, she simply said her opinion. She glanced down at her feet and shrugged.  
"Ain't nothing to thank for. It's not right to leave a little girl out there all alone," she said firmly.  
"Who's abandoning who?"

Ruby turned to see a confused but severe-looking Daryl still lying on the bed. She realised she hadn't heard any of her conversation with Shane. Which, judging by the suspicious looks he was giving her and Rick, was a good thing. She could just imagine Daryl going a round or two with Shane before injuring himself worse. She gave Daryl a reassuring smile and shook her head.  
"No one. We're not abandoning anyone," she assured him.  
Daryl's eyes narrowed at hers and he nodded with a slight scowl.  
"Damn right we ain't," he grumbled.

Dinner was held shortly after in Hershel's dining room. Ruby noticed it was a slightly tense and awkward affair. No one seemed to know what to say to each other and she could almost feel the tension between Shane and Rick. She also saw Rick's wife, Lori, casting worried looks between the two which made her frown slightly. She knew nothing of marriage dynamics—her own had crumbled into dust in barely five years, but she thought that a couple should provide a united front and the looks Lori was casting suggested nothing of the sort. Ruby decided that she'd do well to just leave it alone and her eyes fell on the 'kiddie table'. She smirked slightly seeing Glenn sitting with them. As her eyes watched them, she saw Glenn and Maggie attempting to be discrete about something and failing.  
 _Honestly, Glenn, who looks at their crotch and smiles?_ She thought with an inward laugh. She shook her head lightly and stuck another mouthful of chicken into her mouth.

"Does anybody know how to play guitar?" Glenn asked, turning around in his chair to face the rest of the group. "Dale found a cool one."  
There was a deep and sombre pause, one that made Ruby reluctant to speak up despite her knowledge of guitar. She felt like she was missing something as the Greene's all looked down. An older, blonde woman sitting next to Hershel dabbed at her eyes with her napkin discretely.  
"Somebody's got to know how to play," Glenn insisted.  
"Otis did," the woman sitting next to Hershel answered.  
The whole group collectively looked down at their plates, feeling chastised.  
"Yes, and he was very good too," Hershel added quietly.  
Ruby looked around at all the sad faces and felt a little bit of it invading her and weighing her down. She knew then she'd have to speak. Music would bring some light back, some hope.  
"I know how to play," she spoke up hesitantly.  
She felt the group's eyes on her and she shifted awkwardly in her seat.  
"Are you any good?" Glenn asked her curiously.  
She gave him a half smile and shrugged.  
"I'm so-so. I'm no Jimmi Hendrix or anything, but I'm decent enough. I haven't played in awhile though," she said with an awkward laugh.  
"Cool, I brought it in, just in case. Can you play after dinner?" Glenn asked.  
She nodded, that would give her plenty of time to choose a song to play.

As she withdrew into her thoughts, running her mind over all different chords and bars, songs and lyrics, notes and keys, she hardly noticed as everyone else finished eating. Carol collected up all their plates and she brushed aside Ruby's offer of help, saying that playing her music would be much more appreciated than drying some plates. Glenn picked up the guitar and handed it to her as everyone began to crowd into the living room. Ruby took the guitar and took an appraising eye over it and nodded her head appreciatively.  
"Damn, this is a nice guitar," she whistled.  
She carefully plucked a string and winced as it made a sharp twang.  
"Just give me a minute, this baby is nowhere near tuned," she told everyone.  
She tilted her head slightly, focusing her ear towards the strings and began plucking at strings and adjusting the tuners.

It took her nearly ten minutes of plucking and occasionally strumming for her to be happy with the sounds. She played a few chords in a slow, but upbeat rhythm, just to warm herself up and suddenly felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. She hadn't played in years, and now she was suddenly playing for a group of strangers? She glanced up and she saw the excited and hopeful faces before her and knew she had to. Regardless of whether or not she would be any good, she realised they needed to hear the music. She looked back down at her hand on the neck of the guitar and closed her eyes. Chords ran before her eyes and she began to strum in a slow but light tune. The tune was soft and unhurried, the strings twinging occasionally. She kept playing the same few strings as she coughed and tried to clear her throat in preparation.  
" _Mama told me when I was young,  
_ _'Come sit beside me, my only son,  
_ _And listen closely to what I say,  
_ _And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day.'"_

Her voice rose as loud as she dared, which, admittedly wasn't that loud. Her voice had cracked and strained a couple of times, and she missed a few chords in the beginning. She was waiting for people to start yelling at her or to take the guitar away—but it never came, so she kept playing.

 _"Oh, take your time, don't live too fast._  
 _Troubles will come and they will pass._  
 _You'll find a woman and you'll find love,_  
 _And don't forget, son, there is someone up above."_

She started to get more into it, as they started to build towards the chorus. She began to tap on the floor to the beat, and nodded her head in time with the music. Her eyes remained closed, she was feeling her way automatically through the song.

 _"And be a simple kind of man,_  
 _Oh, be something you love and understand._  
 _Baby, be a simple kind of man._  
 _Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can."_

Ruby played the rest of the song with a quiet solemnity. She kept her eyes closed and just let the hope and serenity flow through her. This song had always calmed her, with the sweet and honest lyrics paired with a nice, soothing guitar. She was pleased that she had remembered all the chords and lyrics, it had been at least six years since she had picked up a guitar last. As the song petered off, Ruby finally opened up her eyes. She focused down on the guitar, not wanting to see everyone's judgemental faces. She idly plucked a few strings, pretending to listen for something, but really she was avoiding the criticism for as long as possible.  
"That was beautiful," Carol spoke up, finally breaking the silence.  
Ruby looked up in surprise and was greeted with many people nodding. Lori, Carol and the older, blonde lady whom had spoken of 'Otis' were all dabbing at their eyes. Ruby looked around stunned and saw that people were actually _smiling_ , they _liked_ her playing. She felt a blush colour her cheeks and she looked down in pleasure.  
"Thank you, Carol," she said shyly.  
"How long have you been playing?" Lori asked her.  
"I started when I was ten, and played until I was twenty-two. I haven't picked up a guitar in about six years though," she replied, shyly.  
"You sing like an angel," the other woman told her, weeping slightly.  
Ruby felt rather embarrassed at the praise that was being lavished upon her but it made her feel slightly proud of herself. That was a foreign feeling for her and she looked back down at the guitar self consciously.  
"Will you play some more?" Carol asked.  
Ruby's eyebrows rose in surprise but a small smile grew over her lips.  
"Sure, is there anything you'd like me to play?" she found herself asking.  
Carol just shook her head and Ruby started playing the first thing her mind jumped to. Ruby played on for a good hour, choosing all upbeat, uplifting songs, until everyone started yawning and needing sleep. At which point a figure hiding in the shadows on the stairs disappeared as well.

Ruby woke up early again in Athena's stall, feeling more at peace and relaxed than she had for a considerable time. She supposed this group setting wasn't all that bad, she actually managed to get a good nights sleep for a change. She stretched and arched her back before wincing. The fall yesterday had clearly taken its toll and she lifted up the hem of her shirt. She grimaced upon seeing the ugly black, purple and yellow splotches decorating her right side. It honestly looked like she'd tried to go a round with Floyd Mayweather. She huffed in annoyance and pain as she pulled her shirt back down. Knowing there was nothing she could do about that she quickly ruffled her hair, trying to get rid of all the sawdust trapped in her messy red hair. She threw it back into a pony tail and pulled on the same light jacket she had used yesterday morning. Loki looked like he knew what was coming and was waiting patiently for her by the stall door. She smiled and pulled her boots on, hopping closer to the door. She quickly unlatched it and stomped out of the stall, making sure her boots were on properly—and immediately regretting it as pain flared through her ankle. She cursed at her own stupidity and limped out of the barn. She promised herself that she'd go and see Hershel about her ankle later on.

"Mornin'," she called up to Dale on top of his RV.  
"Morning, Ruby. Care to join me?" he asked her.  
Ruby nodded and after telling Loki to stay, climbed on top of the RV next to him. The view was much nicer from up high, she could see further and really appreciate the stillness. The odd bird swooped through the field, hunting field mice and grubs, but aside from that nothing dared to disrupt the peace.  
"I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your playing last night. It brought a lightness to the group that's been missing for far too long," Dale complimented her.  
Ruby was still unused to people liking her music. Back before the apocalypse her mother had always seen music as a worthless hobby and couldn't understand why she would want to pursue something so unstable, instead of something like Medicine or Law. It was a constant source of arguments and it resulted in her mother telling her how much she hated hearing certain songs—the songs she played.  
"Thank you, Dale. It's been about six years since I touched a guitar last, so I'm actually surprised I could remember any of the chords," Ruby laughed lightly.  
Dale gave her a genuine and warm smile.  
"Don't think so little of yourself. Clearly it used to mean a lot to you, only an experienced hand could pick up a guitar and play that well after not having played in years," he told her encouragingly.  
She smiled a little bit wider and shrugged as pink touched her cheeks. She felt a lightness in her heart until her mother's sharp voice cut through her thoughts, belittling her. A slight frown touched her forehead and she crossed her arms around her waist. Music was all well and good but it wouldn't help anyone stay alive, and that's what she needed to focus on. Dale seemed to pick up on the shift in her mood but chose not to say anything on it.

"So, what are your plans then?" Dale asked her.  
Ruby bit her lip pensively. She had been contemplating many different things but she was finding only one option favourable at the moment. She wanted to stay. She had thought about it at length yesterday and it seemed to make the most sense to her—at least for now. Most of all, she wanted to stay for Athena and Loki. Here, Athena could be unsaddled and let out into paddocks with the bonus of other horse company. Plus Loki could relax a bit, he didn't need to be on alert all the time—and he didn't have to wear his protective breastplate and pack all the time. It was a much more stable environment for them and Ruby felt that she owed it to them to at least _try_ assimilate into the group for them.  
"I was thinking… Maybe of asking Rick if it would be okay if I stayed, honestly," she admitted.  
Dale practically beamed at her, his wrinkled face appearing years younger momentarily.  
"I think that is a fantastic idea. Rick won't mind, in fact, he'll be glad for it I dare say," Dale assured her.  
She gave him an uncertain look and awkwardly played with a strand of her hair.  
"I hope so," she mumbled.  
Dale placed his hand on her shoulder and she looked at him.  
"I am certain," he told her kindly but firmly.  
She nodded and took a deep breath. She looked out over the fields and finally sighed.  
"I'd best get going, these rabbits won't hunt themselves," she joked.  
Dale gave her a relieved look.  
"I'm glad you're going out, with Daryl out of commission I know a lot of us expected a lean few days. If you're going to stay though… if you could hunt for us, we would be mighty appreciative," Dale trailed off.  
Ruby perked up, happy for an excuse to be useful. She gave Dale a warm smile and nodded.  
"Don't you worry about food, I'll get us through," she said firmly.  
Dale nodded and patted her shoulder.  
"I know you will."

"Ready for another hunt, Loki?" Ruby called as she climbed off the RV.  
He looked up at her eagerly and stood up, wagging his tail. She gave him a wry smile and whistled at him. He turned to her and she started into a fast paced jog, favouring her sore ankle, Loki keeping at a lope just ahead of her. Heading in the opposite direction, they hunted together for over an hour. Occasionally she would throw a rock to scare the wildlife for Loki and other times he would race off after a scent but in all it was a very fruitful session. She wanted to stay out longer but Ruby figured she shouldn't stress her ankle out too much and so with a handful of rabbits, they made their way back to the camp. Ruby didn't even want to think of how she smelled, she was sure it was close to a sewerage system. She hadn't showered or even taken a sponge bath in weeks. It was her most hated thing about the apocalypse, the sacrifice of showers.

She arrived back at camp and she could see a few people's expressions had brightened up upon seeing her and the score of rabbits she had in her hands. She smiled widely back at everyone who smiled at her and made her way over to Daryl's tent. She had seen movement from the tent which she assumed was Daryl and she was going to ask for his help with the rabbits. As she walked over she could hear voices speaking from inside and waited patiently a little ways away. She didn't want anyone to think she was eavesdropping, nor did she even want to hear anyone else's secrets, but their voices carried.  
"—Anything I can do..." a distinctly remorseful, female voice came from inside.  
"You were tryna protect the group," Daryl's low voice drawled.  
"We're good."  
"But hey, shoot me again, and you'd best pray I'm dead," he threatened.  
Ruby did her best not to snort in laughter, she had no doubt he would hurt anyone who tried to shoot him. The tent opening zipped open and out stepped Andrea. The blonde woman's eyes met her cool, green ones and her eyes widened. Her eyes flicked to Daryl's tent and she shook her head as her cheeks flushed.  
"We weren't—I wasn't _doing_ anything with him. I just wanted to apologise," Andrea said, sounding nervous.  
Ruby raised an eyebrow quizzically.  
"To be honest, so long as you weren't killing them, I don't care what you do with anyone," Ruby assured her.  
Andrea's eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to gauge the truth and she nodded stiffly before hurrying away. Ruby huffed in laughter and stepped over to the tent.

"Knock, knock," she called in.  
"Whaddya want?" Daryl grumbled.  
She knelt down and with one arm pushed the tent flap away. She held up the rabbits with her other hand.  
"I could use a hand..." she trailed off expectantly.  
Daryl's eyebrows rose as he counted the rabbits and shrugged.  
"Good score," he muttered.  
She smiled with a hint of pride.  
"I'll join ya in a sec," he mumbled, sitting up slightly.  
The blanket fell off him to reveal him in one of his infamous sleeveless shirts.  
"Do you even own a shirt with sleeves?" she asked him teasingly.  
He looked up bewildered as he eased himself out of his bed. He looked down at his shirt and then shrugged.  
"Not any more. Used my last sleeves yesterday," he grunted.  
Ruby shook her head amusedly. In all honesty she didn't mind, as she definitely enjoyed the view. He carefully climbed out of the tent, collecting up his crossbow on the way. She could see that he was in a lot of pain still and was sure the crossbow was adding to that.  
"Doesn't that hurt? Having the crossbow?" she asked in concern.  
Daryl looked at her and down at his crossbow.  
"No. Best to be prepared," he grumbled.  
It was clear that he didn't like being considered weak and unable. Ruby bit her lip but then shrugged, he was a grown ass man and didn't need her to baby him.

Slowly, they walked over, with Loki happily padding along in front of them.  
"How'd ya get him?" Daryl asked, looking at Loki.  
Ruby frowned, pursing her lips together.  
"My brother was a cop, and I was a brat, basically," Ruby started.  
She could see the confusion flicker on Daryl's face as he tried to connect the dots between what she had just told him and Loki.  
"He was investigating an underground dog fighting ring and once I found out I insisted on coming. He told me I was an idiot and told me to stay out of ' _official police business_ '," Ruby continued.  
She heard Daryl snort next to her and she glared at him. He noticed and smirked before gesturing for her to continue.  
"So, in typical me fashion, I ignored him and got myself an invite to the next dog fight."  
Ruby's face darkened as she remembered the sounds and smells of the ring. It sounded like someone had let loose a pack of savage animals and dangled a single morsel of food over them, and it smelled of sweat, urine and blood. A smell she associated with death.  
"I went in and it was… A direct portal into the most disgusting and depraved side of the human nature. There were two dogs in the ring and…"  
Ruby broke off, trying to fight back the angry tears that were filling her eyes. Ruby took a deep breath, forcing back her tears.  
"I had to pretend to be _excited—_ " she spat the word out like it was poison. "—as one dog latched onto the other and _killed_ it. And the killed dog was just thrown away like it was garbage while the other was praised. It just felt so fucking _wrong_. That's when I saw Loki. He was in a cage, and people were cheering and hitting it and he just looked so scared. Of course, all everyone else saw aggression. He had his teeth bared and his hackles up but I could see in his eyes, he was just scared. And it made me so angry I couldn't see straight and I knew I had to rescue him. I mean, he was barely out of puppy hood! He was just over a year old… I mean… Who does that?!"  
Ruby could feel her eyes start to swim again and forced herself to stop and breathe before continuing.  
"He was the next dog in the ring actually and he was against this _monster_ of a pit bull. The owner had to hold onto this pit bull with the help of two other people because he was just that savage. He was about to choke himself trying to get to Loki, he was practically frothing. And when they let him go he just barrelled into him."  
Ruby paused her story to look down at her dog. He was trotting happily just ahead of her. If she met him now, she would never have guessed his story. He was a wonderfully sweet animal. Easily the smartest dog she'd ever met.  
"Bless Loki, he is many things, but a dog fighter is not one of them. Loki spent a good portion of the fight running in circles and jumping over him—much to his owners chagrin. But that couldn't last forever, and this fucking dog just kept biting at him."

They had just reached the tarp and Ruby lay out the rabbits. She could feel Daryl's eyes on her as he silently took in her story. It definitely wasn't the usual way to get a pet dog. Loki lay down on the ground next to her looking eagerly at the rabbits. He knew he was going to get fed soon. Ruby ran her hands through his coat, her fingers feeling the old ridges and bumps of long healed scars. She looked up at Daryl to see a frown on his face as he looked at Loki. She couldn't even begin to decipher what he was thinking and instead reached up for his hand. He looked at it before slowly reaching to her. She took his hand in hers and lay her hand on his, guiding him through Loki's coat, over the scars. She saw Daryl's frown deepen over each lump and she could see he was becoming more and more pissed off.

"This dog would have killed Loki but Loki jumped out of the ring. Which is when the crowd went into uproar. Jumping out is seen as cowardice and who wants a coward fighting dog?" she spat bitterly. "Loki's owner grabbed him and hauled him off. And Loki was yelping and I just—I _had_ to find him. I don't know why it was Loki of all dogs, but it was. I pushed through the crowd and went searching for him."  
Ruby's hands fisted up and she could feel the tears coming back, but she couldn't hold these ones back. They slipped down her cheeks, without her consent and she angrily brushed them away. Her hands clenched around Loki's loose fur and she flinched as Daryl's hand cautiously touched hers.  
"I found the owner hitting Loki with a plank of wood. He was yelling obscenities at him and kicking at him all the while beating him. And the sounds Loki was making were... They... I've never heard an animal scream like he was."  
She could feel the muscles in Daryl's hand twitch and his hand tightened around her own. Her nails dug into her palms as she heard the high pitched pained screams of Loki echoing in her head.  
"He was going to kill Loki and I just… I ran at him. I was so angry, I couldn't see or think and I ran into this guy who could've snapped me like a twig, he was twice my size—at _least_. I managed to knock him off guard and but he swung with his plank and actually got me fair in the gut. Safe to say, he wasn't happy to see me. He struck me again with the plank, broke a rib, and told me to get the hell out of his business. So naturally, I told him to fuck off."  
Daryl's snort interrupted her and she could see just behind the blue flames of fury, there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.  
"Ya told him to fuck off?" he asked.  
She smiled sheepishly.  
"I never said I was smart," she laughed.  
Daryl raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged before getting back into her story.  
"He didn't like my answer and raised his plank to hit me again, but… Loki stopped him."  
Daryl looked at her curiously before his eyes flicked down at the peaceful dog lying between them, snapping at a fly that was buzzing around his snout.  
"Loki ended up ripping his throat out."  
Daryl's eyebrows hit his hairline and he stared at Loki in shock. If you knew Loki now, you would never have guessed he would be capable of something so savage.  
"I actually thought he was going to attack me next but… he didn't. He just stared at me and I don't know. It's like he knew I didn't want to hurt him. I whisked him away and ever since then he's been my protector. Hey, buddy," Ruby cooed softly.  
Loki grunted and rolled onto his back as she began to rub his belly. Daryl just shook his head and Ruby smiled at him.  
"Damn," he muttered.  
"That's why I'm not scared. If I have Loki, I will be okay. He _will_ kill to protect me," Ruby said.  
Daryl whistled lowly and his hand came to rest on Loki's belly where he gave him an idle pat.  
"Good boy," Daryl murmured.  
Ruby smiled lightly, wiped the remnants of tears off her face and looked back down at the rabbits.  
"Shall we?"


	5. Chapter 5

**I want to thank everyone for being super patient with me. It's been a rough few months, seems death has been running rampant in my family since Christmas and that, combined with both my husband and I being sick and starting a new job has left little time to write. I am trying to get back into it, but please be patient with me for a little longer x Enjoy chapter 5!**

* * *

After a rather filling breakfast of rabbit, Ruby went and searched out Rick. She found him with Shane and Jimmy, talking about a housing development.  
"'Scuse me, Rick?" she asked, interrupting.  
He turned to her and nodded, acknowledging her presence, before continuing his conversation with the others. She could feel Shane's eyes lingering on her and she tried to ignore the crawling feeling she got from it until Rick finished his conversation and Shane took his eyes away form her. Rick promised she would be safe and she had to learn to trust someone, right?  
"What can I do for ya, Ruby?" he asked her kindly.  
"I—I wondered if I could just speak to you for a moment? Alone?" she asked, a hint of nervousness causing a slight stutter in her speech.  
Her eyes flickered over the two men with Rick and he understood. He nodded and turned back to Shane and Jimmy.  
"I'll be back in just a minute," he told them before walking over to her.

She gestured for him to follow and they stepped further away, out of earshot of the two others.  
Ruby ducked her head slightly, chewing on her lip in awkwardness. She jammed her hands as deep as she could in her pant pockets and took a deep breath. Rick waited patiently by her side and she felt grateful that he wasn't pushing her.  
"Rick… would you… I mean, you already offered, but—"  
She couldn't remember a time when she had felt so nervous and stumbled over her words in this way. Luckily for her, Rick seemed to know what she wanted to ask and gave her a warm smile.  
"You're already becoming part of the group. We'd welcome having you permanently," he told her kindly.  
She smiled and gave a long exhale.  
"Thanks, Rick. Is there anything I can do to help out?" she asked.  
"We're going to the gun range to practice and teach some of the others, would you like to join?" he asked.  
She smiled and nodded.  
"Sure. Do you want me to bring my bow?" she asked.  
Rick gave a slightly awkward laugh and shook his head.  
"I was hoping you'd learn to use a gun actually," he said.  
She couldn't help the laugh that burst from her chest. The notion that she didn't know how to handle a gun was comical.

Back at the farm, before the apocalypse, her father insisted she knew how to handle a gun. _''Avin' a snatch ain't gonna give y_ _a_ _a free pass. Ya gotta learn just like yuur brotha'_ her father had said in his deep southern accent. She had been six years old and it was the first time her father had ever voluntarily offered to do anything with her. Her young brain had thought that if she could do well with guns, her father would want her more. As a result, she had spent hours practising with the small handgun her father had given her and ended up a better marksman than her brother.

"Rick, I grew up on a farm, I know how to handle a gun," she informed him.  
He evaluated her, his eyes flickering over her form, pausing pensively on her face. Unlike with Shane, she didn't get that same crawly feeling. Rick seemed more like he was measuring her up, to see whether he could trust her or not. Ruby stood up straighter and let her left eyebrow raise slightly. Rick gave a small chuckle and shook his head.  
"Alright, but I'd still like to see a test on your accuracy, if ya don't mind," he said.  
She nodded, she understood where he was coming from. It was always handy knowing who was competent and who wasn't.  
"No problem, Sheriff."

"Hey, Daryl!"  
He turned around in his seat to look at her and she jogged over to him. He was relaxing under the trees reading a book, looking more peaceful than she'd ever seen him while awake. The peacefulness in his face retreated and suspicion emerged as she approached. His blue eyes met her green ones when she reached him.  
"Can you do me a favour?" she asked him.  
His brows furrowed slightly and he gestured to his side like she was an idiot.  
"You won't have to get up or anything. I'm going with the others to the gun range and I know Loki will hate it. Plus, I'm a little worried that someone might accidentally shoot him. So… I was hoping you'd look after him while I'm gone," she rambled slightly.  
Daryl's eyes fell to the loyal animal beside her and after a moment he nodded.  
"I'll take care'a him. He'll be safe with me," he promised her.  
Ruby smiled in relief and ruffled Loki's head.  
"Thank you. Now he'll probably whine a bit when I go, but he should settle soon after. If you're just firm with him, he'll listen. But don't be cruel or he'll turn on ya. And don't be weak, the wolf in him doesn't respond to that," she explained hurriedly.  
She felt like she was dropping off a child to day care or something for the first time.  
"I know how to take care of a dog, Ruby," Daryl grumbled.  
"Yes, a _dog_. Loki is much more than that. He has very instinctual reactions and thoughts because he's wolf. He responds more like a wolf than a dog and it's a mistake a lot of people make—"  
"Ruby," Daryl growled in annoyance.  
She glared at him for cutting her off but realised she was being a bit overprotective. She took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly before kneeling down to take Loki's face in her hands. She looked into his green eyes and massaged behind his ear. Loki's eyes stared unwavering from hers as his ears pricked forwards.  
"You stay with Daryl, and you protect him. Okay?" she ordered.  
Loki whined slightly, flicking his ears down; he had never liked the 'stay' command.  
"Nuh uh, uh-uh, uh. I don't wanna hear it. Stay," Ruby said with a slight growl.  
Loki huffed and looked up at Daryl whom was watching the pair with barely disguised interest. Ruby knew he would obey and she ruffled the fur behind his ears.  
"Please. He means more to me than you know, protect him," Ruby murmured to Daryl.  
Daryl's eyes narrowed slightly, flickering between her and Loki. He nodded once and turned back to his book. Ruby bit her lip and turned away walking a few steps before whirling around with a playful glare.  
"And don't even think about shooting him again!"  
Daryl gave her a smirk and waved her off.

Out at the range, Ruby found herself standing next to a little boy wearing a cowboy hat that she hadn't met yet.  
"Hi, I'm Ruby," she introduced.  
"I'm Carl," he said quietly.

So, this was the little boy Shane had told her about. Rick's boy that had been shot by Otis. She noted the handgun in his hands and raised an eyebrow. The Sheriff had a son, and he was only just now was learning to use a gun? Hell, she'd been shooting since she was six.  
"Ever shot before?" she asked him.  
He looked up at her and she saw that he had shocking blue eyes that peeked out brightly from under a messy mop of dark brown hair.  
"No. Have you?" he asked.  
She gave him a bright smile and nodded.  
"Yep, plenty of times," she answered.  
He frowned at her and looked down at his feet.  
"Here ya go, you can have your gun back now," Rick said from beside her.  
He handed her gun back over to her and she gripped it comfortably. It had been awhile since she'd used her gun, she usually preferred the silence of her arrows, but it felt as comfortable as it ever had. _It would be good for her to practise_ , she mused to herself. Rick and Shane went over some basic gun safety and shooting tips before they allowed them to start shooting.

Ruby took a deep breath and held her gun comfortably. Her feet stood shoulder width apart and she looked down the barrel and lined up her shot. She blocked out the sounds of the guns firing beside her and started shooting. Every bottle she aimed at she hit and she couldn't help the smirk as Shane whistled lowly to her.  
"Damn, girl. You can shoot," he commented.  
"That's what happens when you grow up on a farm, Shane. You protect your own," Ruby said with a hint of pride and her deep Southern accent coming through.  
Shane nodded, his dark eyes appraising her appreciatively before he walked off to help someone else in the group.

Ruby looked to Carl next to her to see he was frowning. She looked at the bottles set up as targets and realised he hadn't hit any of his.  
"Show me how you shoot, lil' Deputy," she said, crouching next to Carl.  
He looked at her and then back at the target and shot his gun. The shot went high and wide and Carl scowled. Ruby smiled though, she knew what he was doing wrong.  
"Can I give you a few pointers?" she asked him.  
He looked at her and then nodded sullenly. Ruby gave him and encouraging smile and shoved her gun in the back of her pants. She stepped behind Carl and gently tapped the inside of one of his feet with one of her feet, making his feet shuffle a bit.  
"Ya gotta stand with your feet shoulder width apart, that provides you with more balance."  
She straightened up his shoulders so his whole body faced his target.  
"Hold your gun," she told him.  
Carl gripped onto his gun tightly, both hands over the grip, and his elbows locked in at his sides.  
"For shooting, you need to stretch your arms right out, it helps with the kick the gun has."  
Carl slowly stretched his arms out in front of him and Ruby smiled in encouragement.  
"Now, I have to ask, is it comfortable to hold the gun like that?" she asked.  
Carl frowned and looked at the gun.  
"Not really?" he asked, obviously feeling insecure.  
"So... why ya holding it like that?" she asked him kindly.  
"How else do you hold it?" he asked her.  
Ruby smiled and pulled out her gun, stretching it out before her. She had her thumb on the hammer, index finger on the trigger guard, three fingers below, supporting the gun. Carl slowly followed her, rearranging his hand to grip the gun better.  
"Next, place the butt of the gun in your other hand, like this," she instructed.  
She put the butt of the gun firmly in the centre of her palm and wrapped her hand around the bottom, overlapping with her other hand. It looked like she was cupping the gun. Carl followed her instructions and Ruby smiled.  
"Then when you're aiming, line up both your sights with the target and hey presto!" she said happily.  
Carl nodded and closed one eye to line up the sights. To which Ruby corrected him.  
"I wanna show you something," she told him.  
He looked at her in confusion as she held a finger up in front of his face.  
"You can see my finger, right?" she asked him.  
He nodded slowly.  
"Close your left eye, then point where my finger is," she told him.  
He did so and then pointed, slightly left of where her finger was.  
"And now close your right eye, and do the same."  
He did so and pointed slightly right of where her finger was.  
"You see? You close one eye and it messes with your perception. You need to line up with both your eyes," she told him.  
Carl nodded thoughtfully and took aim.  
"And when you're ready just gently squeeze the trigger. You don't need to pull hard like a toy gun, just gentle," she said quietly. "It helps to take deep breaths in and deep breaths out, shooting on your exhale."

Carl didn't give any indication he had heard but then he shot, and a green bottle shattered in front of them.  
"I did it!" he exclaimed in shock.  
Ruby beamed and held her hand out for a fist bump.  
"Knew you could, lil' Deputy!"  
He grinned at her and threw his fist into hers before throwing his arms around her waist.  
"Thank you, Ruby!" he yelled excitedly into her stomach.  
She chuckled and patted his back lightly.  
"You're most welcome, maybe you'll end up out shooting me," she said with a wink down at him.  
She looked up and saw Lori giving her an awkward and hesitant smile. Ruby realised that Lori may have felt a bit uncomfortable with her son hugging her and carefully stepped out of his reach.  
"Reckon you can do it again?" she asked him.  
He grinned at her and lined up another shot.

After two hours passed they all looked a little burnt and were starting to tire, so Rick and Shane called it quits. Carl and Andrea had managed to pick it up rather quickly and the rest of their students were starting to pick it up as well. Ruby had managed to prove herself to both Rick and Shane and both men were pleased to have her with them. Ruby climbed back into the car with Carol and before long they were back at camp. Ruby practically leapt out of the car, heading straight to where she could see Loki sitting with Daryl. She could hear him whining and barking at her, which caught Daryl's attention. He turned to see her and she nodded to him. She saw him look down at Loki and give him an idle scratch behind the ears, which made Loki glance up at him before back at her. She heard Daryl mumble something to Loki and he started to wiggle on the spot, but he wouldn't move until she said so.

"Loki," she sang softly.  
He practically launched from his spot and bounded over to her. She loved how excited he got over her return and laughed as he threw his front paws over her shoulders and started licking her face. The extra weight strained her ankle but the relief and joy at seeing Loki, unharmed, was enough to put the pain out to the back of her mind.  
"Hey, buddy, were you a good boy? Were you good for me? Were you good for Daryl?" she cooed at him as she ruffled his fur.  
Loki whined and yipped at her before jumping back down and racing in circles around her. Loki had wolfish tendencies about 95% of the time, but he was always a happy puppy when greeting her.  
"He wasn't too much trouble?" she called to Daryl as she got closer.  
He shook his head.  
"Stayed in the one spot, watching after you," he replied.  
She smiled and patted Loki fondly.  
"You're a _good boy_ ," she reiterated to him and he practically quivered in joy.  
"He's a _damn_ good dog," Daryl muttered.

Ruby's smile grew and she scratched Loki behind the ears. She looked over at Daryl to see he was still reading the same book.  
"Good book?" she asked.  
"No pictures, shitty book," Daryl grunted back.  
She smirked at him.  
"Well, maybe I'll come back from a run with some pictures of some _bunnies_ ," she teased.  
He looked at her with confusion.  
"The hell'd I wanna book with rabbit pictures for?"  
"You might like these ones... some nice, tanned bunnies with amazing legs, showing off their beautiful fluffy tails," she said, winking at him.  
She saw the connections add up in his mind and saw his ears turn red. He grumbled something under his breath and turned back to his book with a scowl. She felt a laugh rumble up through her and she couldn't fight the shit eating grin that overtook her face.

Ruby saw Hershel walking out with some tools, into the paddocks, and thought she would help him out with fixing the fences. She thought it might be a nice thank you gesture. She whistled for Loki and together they joined the older man at the fence.  
"Would you like a hand?" she asked kindly.  
He spared a glance up at her, squinting slightly, and then shook his head.  
"I'm quite alright working on my own," he declined her offer.  
"Please, let me help as a thank you. Thank you for letting me, letting _us_ stay here and use your resources. Please. I grew up on a farm, I'm used to the work," she insisted.  
It didn't sit right with her letting the 60-70 year old man do the hard work while she lounged around. She had been raised better than that. Hershel looked back up at her and then nodded, handing her a set of pliers.  
"We need to tighten these wires, think you can handle that?" he asked.  
She smiled, nodding, and started tensioning the fence wires like her father had taught her when she was a child. As they worked Hershel and Ruby chatted idly, nothing of importance, just idle comments on farm work mostly. Ruby found that she was becoming comfortable in the man's presence. He had a calm and dignified aura laced with kindness. He reminded her of her grandfather, one of the few people that had actually treated her with kindness.

"Afternoon."  
Ruby's head snapped up as she heard Lori's voice. Ruby and Hershel were running an extra strand of barbed wire at the bottom. She was straining the wire as Hershel hammered a clip into a timber post. She didn't even hear Lori approach over the sound of the hammering and she didn't like that.  
"I take it your boy did well," Hershel said to Lori, looking up at her.  
Ruby's eyes flickered between the two people. Lori looked younger than her years as the smile grew across her face.  
"Not bad, actually," Lori admitted.  
Ruby smiled too, she should be proud of Carl. It was hard to get as good as he did so quickly.  
"Be grateful you don't have a daughter," Hershel commented with a hint of exasperation in his voice. "If only things were as simple as wanting to shoot."  
Ruby snorted in agreement. She gave her parents hell growing up; now that she was older she did not envy her parents having to deal with her teenage self.  
"Carl's getting that chance, thanks to you," Lori said quietly, and Ruby could hear the depth of gratitude in her voice. "And I'm eternally grateful for what you did and your hospitality. We'll earn our keep."  
Ruby nodded in silent agreement. For her there was no other way of doing it.  
"I appreciate that, but with Carl getting better, I imagine you'll be moving on soon—Fort Benning, I hear," Hershel said to her.  
Both Lori and Ruby looked at him in surprise. _Leave the farm?_ Ruby looked up at Lori to see what she knew of this but she could see by the stricken and shocked look Lori had, that she hadn't a clue of these plans. Ruby looked back at the fence, suddenly feeling a sense of panic settle in her stomach. She almost thought she would be sick and she had to sit down.  
"Ruby? Are you alright?" Hershel asked, concern in his voice.  
Ruby looked up at him and nodded wordlessly, even though she knew it was a lie. She had already grown attached to this small farm, with its beautiful fields and idyllic farmhouse. It was a place of serenity, peace and safety that she hadn't felt in a long time.  
"I—I had no idea," she said softly to Hershel.  
Her green eyes met his steely, but kind blue eyes. Hershel looked at her steadily, his gaze unwavering.  
"We have limited resources. The group has already gone through nearly half my reserves as it is," Hershel told her.  
She couldn't decide whether he was annoyed or not; he didn't seem to have any outwardly signs, but she thought she had heard an edge in his voice.  
"I understand. I just… It's been a long time since I've felt safe like this. And I wish Rick had mentioned we were going to have to move," she trailed off.  
She now had some serious decisions to make. She had wanted to stay mostly for Athena and Loki's sake—using the safety of the farm, but if they had to move… would she actually be safer with the group? Would _they_ be safer? Being with a group meant more eyes but it also meant more of a target and she was quicker on her own. She could duck in and out of the woods into towns and houses with barely a trace left behind within fifteen minutes. It was how she had survived thus far. With more people on the move they could only go as fast as the slowest person, and needed a lot more supplies. How many raids would they have to do _a day_ just to keep them going? Ruby could feel a lump rising in her throat as her chest began to constrict painfully. She took a deep calming breath and focused back on the fence. Hershel hadn't said anything in response to her and she wouldn't think on it any more until she spoke with Rick.

She worked until her arms ached and her shoulders were an angry red. She groaned as she knew her sunburn was going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow. She sighed and shook her head as she gave the tools back to Hershel and walked back into camp.  
"Ooh, that looks sore," Carol commented to her.  
She looked up into the kind woman's eyes and shrugged.  
"My own mistake. I shoulda known better," she grumbled.  
Carol bit her lip and turned away.  
"Next time they go on a run I'll ask them for some sunscreen for you," she said to her.  
Ruby wondered if they'd even be on the farm at that point. Or if they'd be halfway to Fort Benning by then. Nevertheless, it was a kind sentiment from the woman that she should recognise.  
"Thank you, Carol," Ruby murmured. "Have you seen Rick?"  
Carol looked at her in momentary confusion before telling her that she hadn't seen him all afternoon. Ruby grumbled under her breath and shook her head. Figures that now of all times he was unavailable.

Ruby fixed a plate of dinner for herself and sat down next to Dale. He said nothing as she sat by him and she was grateful. She just wanted to sit and brood for a bit. As it was, it seemed like most of the camp was doing the same. Daryl was sitting further away than he had before while Dale was being much quieter and keeping more to himself than usual. T-Dog was doing much the same while Shane was staring moodily into the fire, ignoring Andrea who kept shooting glances at him. Glenn looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here and Carol was eating peacefully. There was no sign of Rick or Lori and all up it ended up being a rather sombre dinner.  
"Ruby?"  
Her head snapped up, out of her reverie as T-Dog called to her. They had nearly all finished dinner and were just sitting around the fire.  
"Hmm?" she responded.  
"I wondered if you could play again tonight?" he asked her.  
Ruby blushed as a few others voiced their agreements.  
"I think we could do with the cheering up," Dale said in agreement next to her.  
Ruby was surprised and somewhat overwhelmed. No one had ever told her they wanted to hear her play again. She smiled and quickly walked into Dale's RV to pull out the guitar. They had decided it would be much safer in his RV than in the stable, plus a lot easier to transport. Ruby quickly sat down at the fire and contemplated what she should play. She looked out at the faces and saw most were sombre and she thought something uplifting and possibly funny would be worth playing. She started playing a laid back country tune and she dimly heard Daryl snort from over the other side of the fire. She grinned at him as she began to sing.

" _I wasn't born for diggin' deep holes,  
I'm not made for pavin' long roads.  
I ain't cut out to climb high line poles,  
But I'm pretty good at drinkin' beer."_

Ruby could hear a few chuckles from around the fire and she smiled as she heard them. Her plan was working. _  
_

" _I'm not the type to work in a bank,  
I'm no good at slappin' on paint.  
Don't have a knack for makin' motors crank, no.  
But I'm pretty good at drinkin' beer."_

T-Dog, Glenn and Shane had begun to stamp their feet to the beat, clapping in time. Carol had extended her hand to Andrea and they were now dancing together, and Carl had begun to awkwardly bob his head. Even Daryl had a laid back smirk on his face.

" _So hand me one more,  
That's what I'm here for.  
I'm built for having a ball.  
I love the night life,  
I love my Bud Light,  
I like 'em cold and tall."_

Ruby grinned up at Dale as he began to sing along with her on the chorus. She saw Rick and Lori walking up, confusion in their eyes. As the strains of the song caught their attention and the laughter of everyone caught up with them they both held matching smiles. Rick took Lori's hand in his and pulled her close as they began to dance as well. Glenn ended up standing up and asking Carol for a dance. At which point, T-Dog had said it would only be polite to offer Andrea a dance, which she accepted. They all twirled and spun and kicked out their feet like a badly choreographed group of line dancers. By the end of the song nearly everyone was up and dancing around the fire. Ruby smiled knowing that everyone was happy and that she had contributed to that. Not wanting to lose the good mood, Ruby immediately jumped into an acoustic rendition of Hillbilly Bone. She let her voice drawl out and at the right time allowed the rest of the group to sing out, " _Yee-_ _h_ _aw!"._ She laughed with everyone else and nodded along happily with the others to the beat. All this playing was doing wonders for her singing voice as she could already tell her voice was better than it was last night. She strummed along and quickly melded it into the next song she wanted to play. She loved this song, it was upbeat and she felt empowered every time she played it. It made her feel like she could take on the world and no one could stand in her way.  
"Hell yeah!" Andrea cried out as she recognised the song.  
Ruby grinned widely at the blonde woman as she began to sing along with her.

" _'Cause I'm a redneck woman,  
I ain't no high class broad!  
I'm just a product of my raisin',  
And I say "Hey y'all" and "Yee-haw"!  
And I keep my Christmas lights on my front porch all year long,  
And I know all the words to every Charlie Daniels song,  
So here's to all my sisters out there keeping it country.  
Let me get a big "Hell yeah!" from the redneck girls like me!  
Hell yeah!  
Hell yeah!"_

Andrea grabbed Lori and Carol and the ladies started whooping and hollering as they danced together. Ruby grinned broadly as the men cheered them on. Ruby found their excitement and energy infecting her and she stood up from her seat to join the ladies as well. She kept playing and singing as she started dancing, unable to stop herself. Their voices melded together and carried a bit louder than they meant but they were just having too much fun to rein it in. Ruby looked around the fire and most of the men were smiling and laughing, talking to each other or encouraging the women. Except Daryl's piercing blue eyes were staring at her, following her every movement. She smirked slightly and while she was all caught up in the moment, she blew him a kiss and winked at him. He rolled his eyes in response and quickly looked away from her, making her giggle slightly. The good music and happy mood was infecting her to the point where she wanted to just sing, play and dance her night away.

She played on for another few songs but as the night darkened, and her muscles began to ache, she finally finished with Coward of the County. Once she finished she stretched her arms out and winced as her fingers protested. They'd been cramped over the neck of the guitar for so long it hurt to stretch them out. The tips of her fingers were creased where she'd been pressing against the strings and were a bruised red colour.  
"Thank you for that, I think we needed that," Dale sighed happily as he leaned back in his camper chair.  
Ruby just made a noise of dismissal as Carol and Andrea joined in with praises.  
"I think we should officially employ you as our entertainer," Rick told her with a smile, his arm around Lori's waist.  
Ruby didn't know what to do with all the praise being sung at her and just shook her head.  
"It was honestly my pleasure. I had a lot of fun," she replied, trying to disguise just how pleased she was.  
She grabbed the guitar up and returned it back to its resting place in Dale's RV. Ruby fought back a sudden yawn that was trying to make its way through her body. After wishing everyone a good night she made her way over to the stables. Even though she was now technically 'part of the group' she still felt safer in the stall with Loki and Athena. Ruby clambered back into her swag and she was out before her head hit the ground.

* * *

 **Song credit:  
** **Pretty Good At Drinking Beer by Billy Currington.  
** **Hillbilly Bone by Blake Shelton.  
** **Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson.  
Coward of the County by Kenny Rogers. **


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning Ruby went out for another hunt, bringing back only a handful of rabbits. It made her think of what Hershel had told her yesterday and she frowned. She needed to speak to Rick. She had let it go last night, not wanting to wreck the good mood but now it was imperative, she needed time to decide on what she wanted to do. Whether to stay or to go. Ruby shook her head and started cleaning the rabbits. She had thought about asking Daryl for help but then thought he'd probably enjoy the time off to just relax. It had seemed to take a lot of effort and pain for Daryl to join her yesterday so she thought he should have time off while still healing.

She was just starting the third rabbit when Daryl joined her. He sat next to her quietly and just snatched up one of the rabbits grumpily.  
"Why didn't you come and get me?" he grumbled to her.  
"Thought you might like to just relax and heal up," she answered, not looking at him.  
"Prefer to be busy," he muttered.  
She could understand that, she was much the same. She wondered if he knew that they couldn't stay on the farm. She wanted to ask but Lori's stunned face kept flashing in her mind. If Lori, Rick's _wife_ , didn't know she found it difficult to believe that Daryl would. Asking would just be stirring the pot and that was the very last thing she wanted to do.  
"You're looking pretty red," he muttered after a moment of quiet.  
She looked at him in surprise and discomfort, her knife hovering above the rabbit's breastbone. Was he… _complimenting_ her? Was 'Red' a new nickname because of her red hair? She cautiously fingered a stray lock of her grubby, dyed red hair and frowned. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he was entirely too close for comfort. Her eyes quickly darted to Loki for reassurance before glancing over at Daryl. He didn't seem to even be fazed with what he had said, just continuing to bone his rabbit. He had never shown any signs of being interested in her and now he was casually just whipping out he thought she was pretty? Ruby didn't know what to make of that; Daryl was one of the few people she actually started to trust. She had started to find that she liked being in his company, mostly because he made no advances on her and Loki liked him. She could feel her whole body tense up and becoming more defensive.  
"Excuse me?" she asked tersely.  
He glanced up at her, briefly meeting her eyes and pointed his knife at her shoulders.  
"Your sunburn," he said.  
She felt her cheeks burn as she realised what he meant and she laughed to hide her embarrassment. Of course he wasn't complimenting her, this was _Daryl_ after all. She felt the tension melt out of her body and an easy smile came to her face.  
"I was helping Hershel with the fences yesterday. It's not actually as bad as I expected to be honest," she replied.  
"Should be more careful," he muttered.  
"Yes, _Mom_ ," Ruby responded teasingly.  
He responded to her with a small glare which she ignored.

"So, do you think we could stay here forever?" she asked him.  
She wondered what he thought about the farm, whether it was worth staying. When he didn't answer straight away she looked up at him to see what he was thinking. His blue eyes looked almost thunderous as any number of thoughts spun through his brain. She waited patiently as his eyebrows knitted together. He seemed to be really deliberating on what to say as his tongue peeked out between his lips.  
"Please, be honest," she implored softly. He pressed his lips together and shook his head.  
"Don't matter what I think," he said.  
She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. If she hadn't wanted his opinion she wouldn't have asked.  
"It _does_ matter, I'm asking _you_ ," she persisted.  
His forehead creased as his eyebrows drew down giving him a rather severe look. His icy blue eyes eyed her suspiciously.  
"What's it matter to you?" he snapped.  
Ruby growled in frustration, why did he behave so infuriatingly? All she did was ask him a question. She 'tsk'd' with her tongue and dropped her gaze to her rabbit, finally gutting the thing.  
"I just asked for your opinion," she grumbled.  
"Well, I don't have one," he said abruptly.  
His blue eyes glared into hers and she threw her hands up in exasperation.  
"Fine! I won't ever ask fer yuur opinion again! I won't ever fucking bother ya and yeh can try to convince me to ' _stay wit_ _h_ _the group_ ' while you, yerself, isolate and ostracise yerself!" she snapped sarcastically, her Deep South accent becoming more pronounced due to her frustration.  
She angrily grabbed another rabbit and quite viciously ripped the fur off its body. She was seriously doubting her decision to stay with this group of people. Between Shane's unnerving looks, Rick's dishonesty and Daryl's never ending PMS, she wondered if she should just leave. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with anyone else's bullshit. She'd never needed anyone before in her life and she didn't see why she'd have to start now.  
She could feel Daryl's infuriated gaze on her but she refused to meet his eyes, they'd probably just start yelling at each other again. It seemed that that was what they were best at.  
"Thought you was stayin'?" Daryl grumbled.  
Ruby growled under her breath. She didn't understand him and his obsession with her staying.  
"Thought I was too."

Ruby and Daryl didn't speak a single word to each other after that, they just finished preparing the rabbits. Loki got his customary carcass and innards breakfast and before Daryl could, Ruby gathered up all the meat and took it over to Carol for breakfast. Carol nodded her thanks and started preparing their meal. Ruby didn't linger, she had always hated cooking. She was okay at it, enough to survive, but she just generally couldn't be bothered with getting any better. Pre-apocalypse it hadn't mattered, she could always order take out or pop something in the microwave. Post-apocalypse she didn't care what went into her, so long as it didn't kill her.  
As breakfast was served Ruby could see people chatting idly and cheerfully amongst themselves but she didn't particularly care to join in with anyone. She felt like she'd snap at them for no apparent reason and she didn't really want to piss off or insult anyone for no good reason. She just kept her mouth shut and finished off her breakfast.  
"Um, guys?"  
Ruby looked up at the sound of Glenn's nervous voice. She could see him hesitate about saying something and she rolled her eyes, turning back to her plate of food. _Great, another person in this group keeping secrets.  
_ "So, the barn is full of walkers."

Ruby's plate dropped from her lap to the ground in shock as her head snapped to Glenn. She faintly registered the sound of silence as everyone in the camp processed what Glenn had said.  
 _The barn is full of walkers. Thebarnisfullofwalkers. The BARN is FULL of WALKERS._  
It circled through her mind like a hurricane. She stood up from her seat and stared at the nervous Asian kid.  
"I'm sorry," she started in a slow but sharp voice. "I think I misheard you. Did you just tell us _there are walkers in the barn?_ "  
Glenn bit his lip and nodded. Ruby ran a hand through her messy hair and shook her head. She drew a shaky breath as she heard a ringing start in her ears. This was meant to be a safe place. A _haven_ ; instead, it was a fucking shooting gallery. Ruby felt sick to her stomach.  
"We need to check it out," Shane demanded.  
Ruby looked up to see most of the group were now standing up looking at the barn. She saw mixed expressions of shock and horror but most of them were fear. She could see Rick, looking like a deer caught in headlights and she could feel her anger boiling up. _He_ was the leader and _he_ was supposed to make sure this place was safe! Ruby whistled sharply for Loki and he immediately stood and looked up to her. Ruby turned to Shane, her green eyes commanding his onyx ones.  
"Let's go," she growled at him.

Ruby, Shane and Rick strode out purposefully towards the barn, the rest of the group following behind them. Loki trotted along next to Ruby with his head low. When they got closer he growled and his hackles rose. That was all the proof Ruby needed, but she followed the men closer. The disgustingly familiar stench of rot, decay and death wafted over and Ruby bit her lip in frustration. How could she have not checked out this barn? How could she have not inspected this place first? She broke the basic rules of the apocalypse! _Always_ check and clear your surroundings! She should have known better than to trust these strangers when they said it was safe.

Shane stepped in closer to the barn and peered through the timber slats. There was nothing for a moment but then walkers started banging where he was looking and growling at him.  
"You can _not_ tell me you're all right with this!" Shane growled to Rick as he stepped closer.  
"No, I'm not, but we're guests here," Rick reminded Shane. "This isn't our land."  
Ruby's blood boiled at Rick's calm tone. There were _walkers in the barn_ and he was behaving like they found squirrels in the barn. Did Rick even care? Did he even understand the dangers this posed?  
"This is our lives!" Shane shouted, voicing exactly what Ruby had been thinking.  
"Lower your voice," Rick hissed at him.  
Ruby couldn't help the scowl that twisted across her face. How dare he?! They were camped out next to a bunch of relentless cannibalistic machines and he wanted to preserve dignity? To hell with that!  
"We can _no_ _t_ just sweep this under the rug!" Ruby spat out, her hands clenched.  
Rick glared at her, his blue eyes piercing, and she glared right back. He clearly didn't like her voicing her opinion right now but she didn't give a damn about what he thought of her; this was serious. These were their lives he was playing with and she was not going to sit back like some damsel.  
"It ain't right. Not remotely," Shane said, clearly making an effort to rein in his anger. "Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've just got to go. Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."  
Ruby rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest, there was that _magical_ place again. The one she'd never been informed about but apparently they'd all been discussing for _a long time._  
"We can't go," Rick told him with frustration in his voice.  
"Why, Rick? Why?" Shane demanded, his whole body taut with aggression and frustration.  
His onyx eyes burned with an unbridled fury and it was enough to even make Ruby want to take a step back. Which made her flinch in surprise as Carol brushed past her to step forwards and put her thoughts into the fray.  
"Because my daughter is still out there," she said quietly.

Ruby felt a pang of guilt stab her, in all this commotion, she had actually forgotten about Sophia. Shane clearly had and didn't seem too pleased at the reminder. He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face, almost as if he wanted to tear his face off in frustration.  
"Okay," he said in a slightly exasperated and irritated tone. "Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just _consider_ the other possibility."  
Ruby wasn't too shocked at this revelation. She knew he wanted to stop the search a long time ago. However, Carol obviously had no idea and she could practically feel the hurt radiating off the older woman. Ruby gently placed a hand on Carol's shoulder, trying to offer her some comfort as the argument continued.  
"We're _not_ leaving Sophia behind," Rick said firmly.  
"I'm close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago," Daryl butted in.  
Ruby could see this all going butt up in seconds. Shane and Daryl did _not_ mix. Shane was bullheaded and refused to see any other way than his, whilst Daryl was a hothead, plain and simple. It was like mixing oil and water.  
"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a _doll,"_ Shane snapped.  
She could see the smoke practically billowing out of Daryl's ears as he bristled. His shoulders tensed and his hands clenched into fists as his eyes narrowed into slits.  
"You don't know what the _hell_ you're talking about!" he shouted furiously, stalking forwards.  
He looked like he was about to start swinging, but Rick put his arm out in front of Daryl to stop him. Miraculously, he actually did, fidgeting on the spot but respecting Rick's authority.  
"I'm just saying what needs to be said!" Shane started yelling. "You get a good lead, it's in the first forty-eight hours!"  
"Shane, stop!"  
Rick tried to intervene but Shane just kept on like a juggernaut. He was now circling around like an animal closing in on the kill. His eyes were dark and his face was going red and Ruby was sure he was going to punch someone soon—probably Rick or Daryl. Rick placed his hand on Shane's shoulder but she saw Shane push it off aggressively and turn back to Daryl.  
"Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and your geek ears around your neck, she would run in the opposite direction!"

Ruby felt a surge of protectiveness come up in her, despite her and Daryl's disagreement this morning. Daryl had been through an obviously traumatic event and he had nearly _died_ trying to look for this little girl! How could Shane bring that shit up?! When Shane, himself, had done _nothing_ for the little girl. Daryl, meanwhile, was already shouting unintelligible things and trying to hit Shane, completely bypassing Rick.  
"And what have you done for her?!" she found herself shouting as she stood next to Daryl.  
Shane's dark, shark-like eyes turned to her and she glared back at him. She refused to let Shane with his dark eyes and bulk intimidate her.  
"He's done more and tried harder to find Sophia than _you_ have! He nearly fucking _died_ for her! What gives you the right to lay shit on him!" Ruby shouted at him.  
Daryl was the only person she actually considered as… somewhat of a friend in this group and she would not stand by and let Shane talk down to him like that. Shane's whole expression darkened and he stepped in closer to her; close enough she could smell his rancid breath and count his teeth as he bared them at her.  
"You, stay the fuck out of this!" Shane spat at her, shoving his finger in her face.  
She could see in his eyes that he wanted to hit her, smack her into submission and she felt her hand drop to her hunting knife—she was not going to back down from him. Loki growled threateningly at Shane from his spot beside her, Loki's lips drawn back in a vicious snarl and Ruby glowered at Shane. She felt her blood boiling in her veins as his finger taunted her, just a few inches from her nose. She felt like biting it.  
"Get that damn finger out of her face before you lose it," Daryl threatened, standing in front of her.  
Loki's growl elevated into a snarl next to Ruby as she stood dumbstruck, trying to process the fact Daryl was defending her. His entire body shielded her from Shane, protecting her from the man's wrath. In fact, Daryl was standing so close to her, she could see tendrils of his hair moving against the back of his neck from her breath. She was by no means short, coming in at an average 5'6; however, Daryl, all bristled and ready to fight nearly towered over her. She could only just see over his shoulders, just in time to see Shane roughly pull his finger back, raising his hand into a fist. Daryl responded in kind, his elbow nearly hitting her in the head.

Despite knowing how much she would have loved to see Daryl hit Shane, Daryl was still injured and a fight was not in his best interest. Shane had at least 50 pounds on Daryl and would flatten him in his current state. She and Rick moved in unison as they both stepped in between the men. Rick pushed against Shane's chest and she ducked under Daryl's raised arm and moved in front of Daryl, turning her back on Shane, trusting Rick to handle him. She raised her hands slightly, bracing them against his taut shoulders, trying to keep him from punching Shane's lights out.  
"Cut the shit and stop, Daryl!" she snapped.  
Daryl completely ignored her as he tried to step around her. She could feel Rick stumbling back into her as he tried to keep Shane in check, he was clearly having more trouble with him than she was with Daryl. Loki, meanwhile, kept growling and snapping at the men around her. He clearly didn't like the situation she was in; being jostled around by several men.  
When Daryl finally tried to barge over her, making her stumble on her injured ankle and causing her to yelp in pain, Loki growled and leapt up at Daryl. Loki snapped at him several times, his teeth inches away from his nose. Daryl finally stopped, surprise and fury burning in his eyes. He pushed Loki away, but stepped back from Ruby, allowing Loki to stand protectively in front of her. Daryl turned his head and spat angrily before glaring down at her.  
"Move!" he snapped at her.  
His face twisted into an ugly scowl and if looks could kill she would be dead, a million times over. It pissed her off that he was being so pig headed about this; he was injured and Shane wasn't, plus Shane was built like a brick shithouse. One solid punch from Shane and Daryl would be knocked back on his ass—longer this time.  
"Don't be an idiot!" she retorted.  
He scowled again at her and made to shove past her again but she was having none of it. She shoved him as hard as she could in the chest and he stumbled back a few steps, breaking away from the fight.

She could hear Shane yelling from behind her and she turned back to check on Rick. To her immense surprise, Lori was in the fight too, trying to keep him from punching Rick.  
"Back off!" Rick was shouting at Shane when all of a sudden he did.  
Except his dark eyes focused on Lori, not Rick.  
"Keep your hands off me," Shane snarled at Lori shoving his finger in her face before stalking off.  
She could see the bewildered look on Lori's face and the frustrated one on Rick's. She looked back to Daryl and he just shook his head at her before turning away. Ruby just rolled her eyes, _what a fucking child_.  
"Now just let me talk to Hershel," Rick called out to Shane.  
"Let me figure it out."  
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because Shane rounded back on Rick, murder in his eyes.  
"What are you gonna figure out?!" he roared at Rick.  
Even Ruby was surprised and a little alarmed by the fury he projected. Rick didn't even flinch, his eyes focused solely on Shane.  
" _If_ we're gonna stay, _if_ we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is _his_ land," Rick explained in a frustrated snap.  
He sounded like he was trying to explain something to a rebellious child and he was sick of it. She had to give Rick props for not backing down to the near uncontrollable man though, not many would have the guts he did.

"Hershel sees those things in there as people—sick people—his wife, his stepson," Dale interjected.  
Ruby's mouth fell open and she turned on Dale, her green eyes accusing. He knew? And he didn't say anything? Didn't anyone tell anyone _anything_ in this group?!  
"You knew?" Rick asked incredulously.  
All of a sudden, Ruby felt almost bad for Rick. He was trying so hard to do the right thing and consider every angle, every outcome, for every person, and his own people were keeping secrets from him.  
"Yesterday I talked to Hershel—" Dale started.  
"And you waited the night?" Shane demanded, cutting Dale off.  
Ruby hated the thought, but she agreed with Shane. She couldn't believe Dale had known about something like this and not told anyone. What if their music and noise carried and the walkers had burst through the barn? They could have been killed!  
"I thought we could survive one more night. We did," Dale snapped at Shane.  
Shane scoffed and turned around, running his hand over the back of his neck.  
"I was waiting till this morning to say something, but Glenn wanted to be the one," Dale continued in a much quieter and calmer tone.  
"The man is crazy, Rick, if Hershel thinks those things are alive or no-" Shane started.  
He was interrupted by a loud banging on the door behind them and they all jumped. The doors shook and the chain around the handles rattled as the walkers thumped and growled menacingly from behind them. Ruby glared at the offending doors as half the group began to run back to the camp.

Shane glared at her, Daryl, and then finally at Rick, clearly still feeling the adrenaline. Ruby decided it was enough.  
"Okay, lets all just take a breather and we can revisit the issue later," she said firmly.  
Rick looked at her and nodded, she visibly saw the fight leave his body as it hunched slightly. Shane, however, looked like he was ready to punch on.  
"There is nothing to revisit!" he shouted.  
Ruby rolled her eyes in annoyance and stomped up to the irritating man.  
"Shut up. This fight is over and done with. If you _really_ have a fucking problem, go and inspect the barn to make sure it's safe!" she spat.  
Loki stood next to her, his teeth bared, hair raised and tail, ram-rod straight, out behind him. A snarl was rising in his throat and his glittery lupine eyes were warning Shane to stay away from her. Ruby raised her eyebrow challengingly at Shane. He growled in response and sharply turned away, stalking off. She blew her breath out and dropped her hand from the handle of her knife to give Loki a pat. His tail dropped, as did his hackles and his ears pricked up when he looked up at her.  
"Thanks," Rick said quietly to her.  
She shrugged, she was still mad at Rick but it wasn't going to help the situation any.  
"It's okay. Everyone's too volatile to think rationally right now," she said quietly.  
Rick sighed heavily.  
"Don't I know it," he muttered.

"Rick?"  
He looked up at her and she could see the weariness in his eyes as well as all the stress in the creases of his face.  
"I do think Shane is right, even if he went about it the wrong way. If we stay, we need to clear that barn. If Hershel says 'no', what are you gonna do?" she asked quietly.  
Rick shook his head and leaned against the gate, lifting one leg up to rest on a steel bar. His hands clasped together tightly in front of them as his head dipped.  
"I don't know. We _can't_ go," he whispered.  
"Why not?"  
"Lori's pregnant."  
"Well, fuck."  
She couldn't help the words she blurted out to him and wanted to take them back straight away. Such a rude thing to say when she should be congratulating him. However, she couldn't help but think in nine months Lori would be bringing a tiny bundle of walker bait into the world. It would scream and cry and attract every damn walker for miles. Rick nodded slowly beside her and ran his hands roughly through his curly hair.  
"Are you guys keeping it?" she asked quietly.  
Rick looked at her as if he was trying to evaluate her, to see what angle she was working. His eyes studied every inch of her face and she rose an eyebrow at him.  
"Yes, we are," he said finally.  
She could see the hesitation, the question about whether or not it was a good decision and she bit her lip. She didn't want to impose her opinions on him but she couldn't see this as being a good idea unless they could stay at the farm.  
"Well, I guess congratulations are in order then," she said, trying to force a smile.  
Rick gave a short, humourless guffaw and smiled wanly at her.  
"Thanks."

After they walked back to the camp Rick said he was going to speak with Hershel. Ruby nodded and let him go. She looked back at the camp and towards the stable and shrugged. She may as well do some work in the stable, where she could. Still favouring her ankle she walked over to the stable, to see Daryl lugging around a heavy saddle. He was clearly still in pain as she could see how much effort it took for him to bring it in front of the bay. She smiled to herself as she realised he had learnt his lesson from Nelly.  
"Need a hand?" she drawled.  
Daryl whirled around and scowled at her.  
"I'm _fine_ ," he snapped, his southern accent thick and twangy.  
"Suit yourself," she chirped cheerfully.  
If he wanted to be a sourpuss, she would let him be a sourpuss.

"Still haven't fixed yer ankle?"  
"There never seems to be the right time to ask," she replied, leaning against Athena's stall door.  
She gently stroked the mare's face, allowing her fingers to run gently over the top of the mare's eyes. After a few minutes, Athena's head began to lower and her lower lip began to droop, indicating she was relaxing and starting to fall asleep.  
"Ain't hard. Jus' walk up and ask," Daryl muttered.  
"Yes, I know. But asking while fencing doesn't seem smart, or while Rick's trying to talk to him doesn't seem smart. And late at night after dinner doesn't feel right… I'll just let it heal on it's own. It'll be fine," she responded quietly.  
Her gaze wandered over Athena's form and she sighed. How could she ever take Athena away from this? Here she was, safe in a stall with plenty of food and water. Her saddle hadn't even been on her in a full day and she had time to just be a horse. This was the first time since before the apocalypse started that she could do that.  
"Don't be stupid. You'll hurt yurself more if ya don't get it taken care of," Daryl grumbled at her.  
Ruby looked over her shoulder at Daryl to see him staring at her like she was an idiot. She smiled lightly and shook her head.  
"' _Ah'm fiiine',"_ she mocked playfully, trying to imitate his thick accent.  
He glared at her, his eyes seemingly trying to make her burst into flames.  
"Shut yer fuckin' mouth. I don't sound like that," he snapped, his accent growing thicker in frustration—thus proving her point.  
She smirked and gave him a look as if to say, _if you say so_.

"Siddown," he growled.  
Ruby's eyebrows crinkled slightly in confusion, but nevertheless, sat on the floor, stretching her injured leg out in front while crossing the other. Daryl disappeared into the tack room for a moment before returning with a red, plastic container with a white cross emblazoned on it. Ruby's brow furrowed some more until Daryl dragged out a horse bandage.  
"That's a horse bandage, Daryl. Last I checked, I wasn't a horse," she teased lightly.  
Daryl ignored her and pulled her boot off. Ruby sucked in a sharp breath as her ankle stretched slightly and Daryl's eyes snapped back up to her face.  
"Ya okay?" he asked.  
She nodded with a short exhale of pain.  
"Just a bit concerned for your nose, I haven't washed my socks in a long time," she joked, trying to take the attention off herself.  
Daryl's mouth twitched slightly in amusement as he peeled off her sock. She fought the urge to squeal as his fingertip grazed along the underside of her foot. Her feet were highly ticklish and consequently, she hated her feet being touched. Daryl's hands gently took her ankle into his lap and he began to gently feel the ankle and carefully twist it around. Ruby's teeth sank into her lip as pain shot through her leg.  
"Definitely not broken. Just needs a wrap, I think," Daryl muttered.  
Ruby's eyebrow rose.  
"If you can wrap it, why didn't you wrap it the other day?" she asked.  
"I ain't a doctor. You shoulda seen Hershel, but apparently you'd rather not _inconvenience_ him," Daryl's tone implied he thought she was an idiot who couldn't take care of herself.  
Ruby just shrugged.  
"It would've healed up eventually," she mumbled.  
"Before or after ya broke it 'cause it weren't wrapped?" Daryl shot back, his eyes staring into hers confrontationally.  
Ruby grumbled incoherently under her breath and leaned back against the stall. Daryl's eyes dropped from hers and focused back on her ankle. He began to wrap the horse bandage around her ankle and she had to admit, it was nice having someone look out for her. She thought it was a bit unnecessary, a sore ankle wasn't going to kill her but she appreciated the care. Warmth spread through her leg as Daryl's fingertips grazed along her skin and she shifted uncomfortably.  
"Too tight?" Daryl asked, his eyes glancing back up at her face.  
A touch of concern had entered his eyes that made Ruby give him a reassuring smile.  
"Nah, you're good. I mean—it feels good. Good pressure." Ruby felt her cheeks flame as Daryl's eyes narrowed at her awkward response.  
Ruby didn't know what the hell was wrong with her, and thanked her lucky stars as Daryl said no more on the topic.

As his hands carefully wrapped her ankle she could see faint scratches on him from where Loki had jumped up at him and felt a small stab of guilt.  
"Loki didn't get you, did he?" she asked him quietly.  
Daryl's eyes flickered up to hers before he ducked his head, shaking it in response.  
"Nah, just a couple-a scratches. If he'd bit me I'd've punched him," Daryl grumbled.  
She wanted to glare at him, but she couldn't fault him. If a random dog bit her, she would probably respond the same.  
"Sorry he jumped at ya," she mumbled.  
"Don't be. He was protectin' ya. Be thankful ya got him," he replied seriously.  
Ruby couldn't help the smile that grew over her face.  
"Oh, I am. Don't you worry."

Daryl finished wrapping up her ankle quietly and had at least three feet of excess bandage. He drew out a knife and made to cut it.  
"Stop!" Ruby yelped, jolting forwards with her arm outstretched.  
For her, horse bandages were a precious commodity. After she was done with the bandage she could use it on any potential injuries Athena could attain. She only had two in her pack and a third would make a useful addition. Daryl cursed and fumbled the knife, dropping it, at her sudden loud outburst.  
"What d'ya do that for?" he practically shouted at her. "Damn near stabbed ya in yer leg!"  
"Sorry! But don't cut the bandage! I can use it after," she explained.  
He stared at her in disbelief.  
"Ya want to save a fucken _bandage_?"  
"I can use it on Athena, if she gets injured. I don't have many."  
Daryl stared at her intently before picking up his knife back up and quickly slicing through the fabric at her great protest.  
" _Daryl!_ " she growled.  
He ignored her and tucked away the last of the bandage so it would stay secure. He then picked up the excess bandage and swiftly ran the knife down the centre length-wise. He rolled the strips up and then chucked them at her.  
"Now ya got two dog bandages," he muttered.  
Ruby blinked in surprise at the two rolled up strips of bandage and picked them up thoughtfully.  
"Thanks," she said softly.

Daryl shrugged and dug back into the red container, throwing another bandage into her lap.  
"Is this Hershel's?" she asked him.  
Daryl nodded and Ruby frowned, holding the bandage back out to him.  
"I'm not stealing from Hershel. He has animals to take care of too," Ruby said firmly.  
"He's got a whole box of the damn things. He ain't gonna miss one," Daryl insisted.  
Ruby felt her determination waver and bit her lip in contemplation. It was tempting, especially knowing he had many spares while she didn't. However, her good nature won out.  
"I just can't, it wouldn't feel right. There is precious little of us left now, and I don't want to ruin what little good we have left by stealing," she said softly.  
Daryl's blue eyes sharpened slightly and a frown set in.  
"Ya gonna take that bandage off yer ankle too? Di'n't ask to use that either," he snapped at her.  
Ruby frowned back at him and bit her lip.  
"No," she admitted reluctantly. "But there's a difference between using a single bandage for an injury, and just taking supplies willy nilly."  
"Stealin's stealin'. Don't slap fancy words or purpose onto it to try an' make it sound better," Daryl growled.  
"Whatever then. I'm only going to steal one bandage! And if I remember correctly, it was you who insisted I use the damn thing," she spat in annoyance.  
"That's right. I'm the fuckin' thief—not you so who cares?!" he shouted, standing up and snatching the bandage back.  
She growled in frustration and quickly tugged her sock and boot back on. It drove her mental how easily her and Daryl switched from nice conversation to shouting at each other. Daryl quickly packed up the first aid kit and disappeared with a slew of curses. She huffed in frustration and decided she didn't want to hang around any longer, lest Daryl came back to yell some more.

Ruby decided she would wander over to the RV where Glenn was sitting atop, keeping watch. Ruby joined Glenn at the top of the RV, noticing he was wearing Dale's hat instead of his own and she could admit she was curious as to why.  
"Hey," he called to her conversationally.  
"Hi," she replied, somewhat warily.  
So far, she'd never really had much to do with this kid. As such, she didn't know him or trust him. Especially now after finding out he knew about the walkers before anyone else. This was going to be her chance to get to know him and decide whether or not he was trustworthy.  
"How long did you know?" she asked him.  
He turned to her and she could see guilt etched into the lines in his face.  
"Since yesterday," he mumbled.  
She was surprised. He had an oddly large amount of guilt on his face for only knowing a day. She had expected him to say a week or something like that.  
"Maggie wanted me to promise not to tell anyone but… These guys, this group, they're my family. I just couldn't… not tell them. Y'know?" Glenn replied.  
Ruby sat down on the RV and leaned back on her arms and she looked up at Glenn. He couldn't have been more than 23 and he seemed to be looking for validation. He wanted to know if he did the right thing. He reminded her somewhat of a child and something tugged in at her heartstrings; the ones she had buried years ago.  
"Yeah, I get it," she answered quietly.  
He gave her a small half smile which she returned.  
"Thank you for telling us. That was something we needed to know. And you went against Maggie to tell us, and I want to say how much I appreciate it. I know everyone else does too. Whether they say it or not," she continued.  
Glenn gave her a bigger smile and she could see a small modicum of relief in his eyes as well.  
"So, anything happening out there?" Ruby asked him.  
Glenn shook his head.  
"Nah, not much usually happens. I don't even think we've seen a walker on the property since the walker in the well," Glenn answered.  
Ruby rose an eyebrow at that.  
"I'm sorry?"  
Glenn looked at her and tilted his head slightly.  
"Don't you know about the walker in the well?" he asked.  
"It's honestly the first I've heard of it," she replied, shaking her head.  
Glenn gave a dry laugh before launching into his story of how they found a walker in Hershel's well and they had lowered him down into it to get him out.

Ruby's mouth fell open as Glenn regaled her with his story.  
"I can't believe you _willingly_ became walker bait," she breathed in awe as he finished.  
Glenn gave her an impish grin and she shook her head at him.  
"You are a whole new brand of crazy," she laughed.  
"Not too crazy any more. I won't do that again," Glenn admitted.  
"Gave you a bit of a scare, huh?"  
"I admit to nothing," Glenn said with a small laugh.  
Ruby laughed loudly in response, a grin spreading across her face. She couldn't actually remember the last time she laughed that hard. It would have been well before the apocalypse—probably when she went to visit New York to see a famous Australian stand up comedian. She looked back over the farm to see Daryl stomping away from the barn with his arm cradled around his injured side. The smile slid from her face as she noted Carol walking back to camp looking downtrodden. Her eyes flickered between the pair and her lips pursed. It seemed to her that Daryl had said something to upset the older woman and she was none too pleased with that. Carol was a lovely woman whom had been nothing but kind to her and was suffering through an awful trauma.  
"Sorry Glenn, but I'm gonna go and see Carol. See if she needs any help with anything," Ruby said abruptly.  
Glenn nodded amicably and waved her off. Ruby

climbed down the RV and strode over to Carol, going at a brisk pace, but not brisk enough to cause alarm. Daryl veered wide of her so she resolved to talk to him later, but for now she wanted to check on Carol.  
"Hey," she called out to the woman as she got closer.  
Carol looked up at her and quickly wiped at her face and gave her a small smile.  
"Are you alright?" Ruby asked gently.  
Carol gave her a small nod.  
"Yes. Thank you, Ruby," she murmured, brushing off whatever it was that was upsetting her.  
Ruby's eyes narrowed speculatively. Carol's eyes were red and glassy and she could see where tears had fallen and been wiped away. Carol's lips were pressed together and she could see a slight indentation where she had been biting down on it. As far as Ruby could tell, Carol was anything but alright. Loki whined from next to her and gently nudged the woman's hand, which prompted a small sniffle from her. Ruby could see more tears building up in her eyes and without thinking, threw her arms around the older woman in a consoling hug. Carol's arms circled around her and Ruby could hear and feel the cries and whimpers coming from her.  
"I'm sorry!" Carol weeped.  
"Hey, hey, shh," Ruby soothed. "Don't worry, we will find her. We'll find her and she'll be okay and I will love getting to know your little girl."  
Carol pulled away and looked down at her feet.  
"That's just it… I don't feel like she's out there any more a-and maybe Shane's right? Maybe it's time to stop… we can't lose Daryl or you to the walkers out there… we need you two," Carol whispered.  
Ruby could hardly believe what she was hearing. Carol was losing hope? A flash of her own baby girl entered her mind and an echo of the pain stabbed through her. Her eyebrows drew down as anger stormed through her veins. She had been in Carol's shoes, searching for her daughter and not knowing. She would give anything to know. She tried to put herself in Carol's shoes but all she could think about was how much she wanted to punch Shane for putting all this through Carol's head. She was furious that a mother was giving up on her child because some asshole with a rod up his ass didn't want to search any more.  
"Don't you dare for a second give up. Just because we haven't found her yet does not mean we won't," she said fiercely.  
Carol flinched a bit at her tone and her eyes dropped to the ground.  
"Now, I know I haven't been out there much, looking for her—but I'm going to go out right now. I'm going to tack up Athena and go out and I won't come back until dark or until I find Sophia. Whichever comes first."  
Ruby felt her eyes blazing in ferociousness and promise and made sure that Carol could see her resolve. Part of her was screaming at herself for giving a grieving woman hope, but the other part of her felt that Sophia was alive and that she would find her.  
"And Shane's a fucking dick. Don't you listen to a word he says."  
Carol gave her a small smile as her eyes overflowed with tears.  
"Thank you," she whispered, reaching out.  
Carol enveloped her in a hug and clutched at her for dear life.  
"I don't know if it'll help… I didn't want to ask, in case it was stupid—but I have a ribbon of Sophia's… Can Loki track with it?" she asked Ruby hesitantly.  
Ruby took a deep breath. Theoretically, Loki could track with it just as all dogs could follow a scent, however too many factors were coming into play as to whether or not Loki would be able to track down the young girl _successfully_.  
"I can only try," Ruby said optimistically.  
Carol's smile grew and she handed over a red, satin ribbon. Ruby took it in her hands and studied it. She could see a few stray blonde hairs and pocketed it, looking back up at Carol with determination.  
"I'll see you at dinner."


End file.
